Cha'lal
by Eternal Density
Summary: Sequel to Hidden Memories, Sleeping Serpent. SG-1 adjust to Daniel's new Tok'ra, Melinar. Kinsey's up to no good. Time travelers cause a hunt for a Goa'uld scientist locked away on Earth, and warn of the end of the world. Dr Steven Rayner finds her first.
1. Prologue 1: Sixty Four Suns

Prologue 1 – Sixty-Four Suns

Notes: This story is a sequel to Hidden Memories, Sleeping Serpent. Read it first!

This is the first part of the prologue, and is in a sense a prequel to HMSS.

Disclaimer: I don't own it or earn money from it and all that, yadda yadda yadda.

_Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy, many years in the future, well after the fall of the Ori and removal of the 'last Ba'al'…_

"Will this truly work?" asked the pilot of the other ship.

"I have run the simulation multiple times. I am certain. So is Ben'ak," David replied from his own ship.

"I should hope so. We only have once chance at this. Our lives are 'in your hands'."

"I know. The fate of the universe rests on this." He sighed. "This is the way it has to be. We'll die sooner, but if we can so some good, it will be worth it all. And that part relies on your research," he hinted.

"I am as certain as you are," she replied, sounding a little insulted. "The records I uncovered from Ra's hidden archive clearly state that Melinar learned Cha'lal's resting place before she escaped. They also document the route she took, and the position at which she was overtaken, and perished in the destruction of the ship she stole."

"And Cha'lal will make a difference?" David had heard all this before, but he wanted to hear it again. He needed to hear that this crazy quest would achieve something concrete.

"Cha'lal is key. Critical. Exposing her in time will change everything."

"Then we do it," declared the scientist.

"Yes. We are in agreement with you. How much longer?"

"The final pieces are nearly in position. We have under two hours until we proceed."

"Perhaps you should check your calculations again," she teased.

"And perhaps you should read your dusty scrolls and engravings again."

"They are digitised copies," she corrected.

"I know."

The four fell silent and watched the incredible sight before them. It was a grid, or very nearly. Eight wide, and eight high. Several points were missing, and they would appear to be so until the ships ventured much closer, thanks to the finite speed of light. Once each ball of energy was in place, the array would activate, forming a square energy field. The exact purpose was unknown. The components, however, were sickeningly familiar.

The points in the grid were stars.

The grid was one of millions. Not counting any in other galaxies. How much of the universe had been rearranged was unknown. It looked untouched, but that was what it looked like when the light left. There was no way to know what it looked like now, apart from a voyage through hyperspace, but knowing wouldn't change anything.

Travelling back in time, on the other hand…

"Prepare for initial hyper-jump," David instructed.

"Ready."

"Automatic hyperlaunch sequence start in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…" David read off the control console. As he finished, twin windows opened, and the two ships were launched into faster than light travel. A few minutes later, they exited side-by-side. "Jump was successful. We are in position. Star-grid is… wow!" David and Ben'ak had never been so close to one of the monstrosities before. An array of sixty-four suns, somehow sitting stationary. They might have been considered beautiful, but knowing where they had come from could only lead to one conclusion: this was an abomination. Unnatural, and deadly to untold billions of humans and other races.

"_Even after all my years fighting the Goa'uld, I never though I would see such a thing,"_ radioed the second occupant of the other ship. _"This is an utter atrocity."_

"_Though I am young, I agree that I could never have conceived of such a foul thing,"_ Ben'ak replied.

"Enough chatter. Grid activation begins in under two minutes. Hyperdrives are reconfiguring."

"Are you clear on your mission?" So much for stopping the chatter.

"Extremely," David replied wearily. "I ensure that your mission was successful and if not, ensure attention is drawn to the location. In under three hours," he recited. "You have the same time limitation, so you'd better avoid running into any complications during the initial rescue."

"I know what I'm doing. I don't spend all my time in the labs and archives. I really don't need you to 'check up on me'."

"I feel more confident with a backup plan in case something unforseen occurs, that is all," David explained. "The field activation process is about to begin. Complete activation will take just over fifteen minutes, so we will see most of it before we jump."

Silence fell as the enormity of the situation became strikingly apparent. The travellers watched in anticipation. At the predicted moment, flares began to shoot between the outer two squares of stars. Slowly, a coherent energy field formed between the outer forty-eight stars. The process then began between the second and third rings, and continued inwards, until the only hole was between the central four stars. However, the watchers did not see the process reach that stage, as the light had not yet reached them.

"Second-to-last stage is forming," David reported. "The wait is nearly over."

"Farewell, Ben'ak and David."

"Goodbye and good luck, Anise and Freya. Our windows will open momentarily. I would say 'ladies first', except that we have to leave at the same instant."

"Tau'ri humour?"

"You know it is. Here we go!" At these words, two more hyperspace windows were opened, directly in front of the star grid. Once in the very centre, and David/Benak's one slightly offset. The two craft vanished from regular spatial dimensions as flares shot between the central four stars in the anticipated pattern. Their paths through hyperspace were appropriately thrown backwards to two separate points in space in time. A new timeline began.


	2. Prologue 2: Saving Operative Melinar

Prologue 2 – Saving Operative Melinar

Pronunciation Note: The 'ch' in Cha'lal is pronounced 'sh' and the emphasis is on the second syllable, in case you were wondering.

Formatting Note: Blocks in italics generally mean flanged symbiote-speech.

-

Kalana, host to the Tok'ra Melinar, was seriously worried. She had barely escaped from Ra, and was not in good physical condition. Melinar was still asleep and unable to help. Kalana worried she might never wake. To top off her troubles, two of Ra's fighter craft had caught her slower transport ship. She should have guessed there was a good reason this ship was separate from the others and not guarded. Instead, she had thought she was safe, until the hyperdrive failed. What a waste of a good escape.

The fighter craft sent by Ra began to fire. Kalana succeeded in evading much of the first volley, but the successful shots did massive damage. She knew would not live much longer. The second volley of energy weapons knocked out her sublight engine. The hull breached and began to leak atmosphere. She would be dead soon. Even before the fighters had caught her, she knew she would starve before reaching a planet. But it was clear that neither lack of food or air would end her life. The ship would explode before the air leaked away.

Kalana saw a bright flash, and the ship vanished around her. This was the end.

The ship returned. No, this ship looked different. She must have been transported. Rescue, or capture? She felt the ship jump into hyperspace, and heard footsteps approach. But before her rescuer/captor came close enough to see, she lapsed into blissful unconsciousness.

-

"Melinar? Kalana? You must awaken," prompted a familiar voice. (Though naturally not in English)

"What… where… Freya!"

"Yes, it is I. It is good to see you again, old friend. I am sorry I can not to more for your wounds, but I have no healing device."

"How did you find me?" Kalana wondered. "And how did you retrieve me from the transport ship?"

Anise came forward to explain. _"I uncovered records of your escape and destruction. We knew exactly where and when to find you. You were transported aboard this ship using technology we will not acquire for many years. We have returned from the future for the purpose of rescuing you."_

"The… future?" Kalana echoed weakly.

"_An unstoppable enemy has wrought havoc with this galaxy. We had to do something to prevent it."_

"How am I to… prevent such a disaster?"

"_Return to the Tok'ra, and report what you learned on your mission. Ensure that Cha'lal is exposed as quickly as possible."_

Kalana was beginning to drift. "Cha'lal," she whispered.

"_Yes, Cha'lal. Cha'lal is key."_

The injured host roused herself and asked, "Why not go yourself?"

"_I have no time to convince them to trust me or to complete the task. You do, and you will be expected. Also, I wished to rescue you. We have learned from the Tau'ri to not leave anyone behind."_

"I am grateful. As would Melinar be, if she could speak. She has slept since the last time we were…" Kalana stopped, unable to speak of the torture.

Anise nodded in understanding. _"I had wondered…"_ She was interrupted by a blue, crackling pulse of energy which fizzled over both the ship and her body, followed by an alarm from the control console. _"It's getting worse,"_ she commented as she left her patient to correct their course. _"I hope there is enough time."_

"What is happening?"

"_A side effect of the energy field we used to reach the past. The result is periods of increasing molecular instability. We barely have time to reach the closest planet before complete collapse."_

"Collapse?"

"_Consider the effects of a third shot from a Zat'nik'atel."_

"I understand," Kalana answered bravely, realising the sacrifice Anise and Freya were making.

"We are fortunate that the ship's hyperdrive failed close enough to a planet. Otherwise, there would not be enough time to complete this plan," Freya mentioned.

"What planet? I don't remember… setting course."

"You must have been thinking of Cha'lal, as we are approaching the planet on which she resides."

"Oh." Another wave of energy hit all matter which had come from the future. "Are you alright?"

Freya felt prickles of pain all over. "No." _"We are now exiting hyperspace and entering the planet's atmosphere."_

Kalana suddenly became worried. "But how will I leave this planet?"

"_I trust you will find a way. This planet holds two Stargates. I believe there are also hidden ships. Osiris…"_ Another energy pulse shocked the ship and the pilot. Anise slumped forward and the controls flickered.

"Anise? Freya? Hello?" called Kalana from the floor.

"She's gone," Freya whispered. "Off course… activated automatic… safety…" Another blue flash immersed her body in pain.

"Freya, quick, tell me about the future. Who are the unstoppable enemy? What happened?" Kalana urged.

Freya fought to speak. "Stars… stealers of stars," she breathed. Then she breathed no more.

Kalana let out a strangled cry of frustration and sorrow.

The ship impacted water.

The inertial dampeners left a lot to be desired. Kalana impacted several solid surfaces as the ship bounced.

The final wave of energy tore through the ship. The matter's tenuous hold on the spatial dimensions slipped, and it tumbled into nonexistence. Kalana's body remained, and tumbled into the water. Kalana's mind retreated from the trauma of her final injury.

Mission partially successful.

-

Next: Chapter 1 - Adjusting

(chronologically, it comes directly after HMSS.)


	3. Adjusting

Chapter 1 – Adjusting

(Italic sentences without "double quotes" are symbiote-to-host communication. Sentences with /slashes/ are host-to-symbiote.)

-Recap-

He watched her leave through the back door, on a mission for coffee.

She stepped through the back door of the bookstore, on her way to the coffee shop.

He continued reading his book.

She began to cross the road, carrying the coffee cups.

He barely heard the roar of an engine.

She heard the sound clearly, and saw the vehicle racing toward her. It was too late to avoid it. She screamed as it hit, and she was thrown against the brick wall.

He heard the piercing scream, and ran to her. The car was gone. He could see that she needed medical attention, and ordered one of the bookstore workers who had followed him.

She heard him yell "ambulance" at one of her employees. She felt him feel for a pulse. She knew the pulse was nearly gone, even as she fought to repair the damage.

"Daniel," her host whispered, drawing on what strength she could provide to the dying human.

"Kalana?" he responded.

"Too much." It was true. She knew there was nothing she could do for her host.

"Melinar can't save you?"

_I am sorry, but I can not, dear one,_ she spoke to Kalana's mind. _And I can not survive once you are gone._

"No. You… save," Kalana told him, through her pain

"I can save you?" he asked?

"Mel." Her intent was clear.

_Do you think he will take me?_ She queried.

/He can be convinced/ Kalana assured her.

"You want me to... take Melinar?"

"Please. Love you."

"No, there has to be a way to save you! I don't want to lose you. I love you too! You can't go!" He couldn't simply accept the situation.

"Save... memry," Kalana slurred.

_Yes, he will want to preserve our knowledge._

"Are you sure about this? There's no other way?" he questioned.

"Yes." Then Kalana added. "Saw car." /You and he can avenge my death./

_It shall be done._

"You mean Melinar can identify the car? So we can catch who did this?" There were no other witnesses to the murder. The 'road' was only used for access to the back of several stores, and was usually empty.

"Yes. Time," Kalana answered urgently. This was true. Her host had very little life left. It took her best efforts to allow her to think and whisper. Soon she would need to withdraw and prepare to bond with a new host.

_I must go now. Farewell, dear one. I am sorry it had to end like this._

/All things must end. Go forth, and tell Daniel I am sorry for leaving him. Too many people have left him./

_I shall tell him. And from now, he will never be alone. Now, sleep, dear Kalana._

/Fare well, Melinar. I die free. You must live… and remember./

_Remember what, dear one?_

/Important. I know not. Find it./

_I promise._ She felt his lips against her host's. It was the last she felt before breaking the connection. Driven by an instinct deep in her genetic memories, she unwound from her haven and burrowed to her new home.

Daniel felt her pierce the back of his throat, but forced himself not to panic. On the edge of his awareness, an ambulance siren blared.

She delicately wrapped herself around the centre of his nervous system. As tendrils connected and neurotransmitters flowed, she felt their minds touch. An abstract greeting passed between them.

Daniel yielded control of his body, and felt his muscles responding to orders that were not his own.

With a golden eye-flash, Melinar moved away from her former host. She delicately placed a hand on Kalana's cheek. _"Goodbye, old friend,"_ she murmured as the woman's life melted away like mist before the sun.

-End recap-

The ambulance pulled up less than half a minute later. "Is she the only victim?" asked the first paramedic to reach them.

Daniel found himself back in control of his body. "Yes. She's dead," was all he could say. He stood back as Kalana's pulse and breathing were checked. CRP was attempted as she was loaded into the ambulance, but no one expected it to help. A look at her head and the part of the wall it had hit was enough to remove any hope. Daniel knew – unfortunately from observation of SGC personnel – that she would not even have been conscious without drastic intervention from Melinar.

_Yes, I did my utmost to preserve her. But we both knew it was futile,_ Melinar told him.

/Um… hello./ Daniel figured it would be polite to give a greeting. /So, this is what it's like?/

"Mister?" The paramedic was trying to gain his attention.

"Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"

"What is your relation to the deceased?"

"Boyfriend."

"Do you know who is her next of kin?"

"She has no family." Kalana had been a slave of Apophis. All her known relatives were dead or missing.

The police arrived next, securing the scene, beginning to take statements, and causing Daniel to worry. Kalana had been murdered, and there would be an investigation. This would lead to awkward questions, such as how could he identify the vehicle when he had been inside the whole time. A second issue was that there was a high chance that Kalana was targeted for reasons where were considered classified information. He didn't want civilian doctors looking too closely at Kalana either. Everything would be much better if the Air Force handled it.

Daniel decided he should call Jack. Unfortunately, his phone was in the bookstore back room, and he didn't think the police would take kindly to him retrieving it. He resigned to asking for a phone as soon as he could. That time might be soon, as the employee who had made the 911 call was pointing him out. Evidently he was explaining what he'd seen, and where.

Sure enough, the police soon finished taking the man's statement and approached Daniel. "I need to make a phone call before I answer any questions," he told them pre-emptively.

"Your lawyer?"

"NORAD." Or close to it. "For reasons pertaining to National Security."

The cop gave him a strange look. "Is that necessary?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Great, another DST case," grumbled the other cop.

"Pardon?"

"That's what we call a case where the Air Force step in, tell us nothing, wave around orders from the President, and tell us their scientists are working on Deep Space Telemetry. That's what's about to happen here, right?"

"Yeah, something like that," Daniel admitted. He was handed a cell phone, and quickly dialled. He asked for Jack, who was overseeing the base while General Hammond was stuck in meetings in Washington.

"Daniel, what's up?" Jack asked, having been informed who was on the line.

"Someone ran Autumn down behind the store."

"WHAT?"

"She's dead, Jack, and it wasn't an accident. I'm calling on a police cell phone." That last point indicated that the call was likely being recorded.

Jack let the tragic news sink in for a few seconds, before moving on to practical matters. "I understand. Pass the phone over to nice officer, and I'll have them keep the place secure until I get down there with some of my boys." Well, Hammond's boys, but he wasn't around to order them. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know."

"Hang in there, Danny."

"Yeah." At least Jack hadn't called him 'Spacemonkey' this time. "Could you do me a favour and not drag Sam down here?" He was worried that undue alarm might result, since Sam could sense Melinar. Jack couldn't, since Kanan hadn't left much naquadah to speak of.

"I made her stay home today, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll hand you over." He returned the phone, saying, "Colonel O'Neill would like a word with you."

-

Kalana's body had been sent back to the SGC, and Jack was finishing the task of convincing the police to hand over all their evidence. He saw Daniel hovering off to one side. He seemed rather spaced out, like he was silently talking to himself. Jack hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him yet, but he knew the archaeologist would be a mess. He'd already lost a wife and an ex-girlfriend to the Goa'uld, and now he had lost a girlfriend, possibly because she was Tok'ra. That was more than anyone should have to bear, least of all an orphan.

Finally, the police, paramedics, store employees, airmen, and SGC medical staff had cleared out, leaving only him and Daniel. The store had been closed, all that remained was to leave. "I'll take you back to my place? Pizza and beer?" Jack offered.

"Don't you need to get back to the mountain?" Daniel wondered.

"Nah, it's pretty quiet, and George is on his way back already. We can relax and watch something funny. I can invite Carter and T too."

"Thanks, but I'd rather…" Daniel realised he wasn't likely to win this argument, and it would be too much work. _It will be good for you,_ Melinar urged. "Fine, but we're not watching anything with flat, yellow people."

"Spoilsport."

_What do you have against yellow people?_

/Please don't tell me you like… argh!/


	4. Previously 1: The Resting Place

Previously 1 – The Resting Place

Disclaimer: any resemblance to actual people or locations is purely coincidental.

_Earth, over a year before the events of Hidden Memories, Sleeping Serpent..._

Doctor David Owen, host to the Tok'ra Ben'ak, arrived in the empty space a safe distance above Earth, several years after Anise/Freya had been scheduled to drop off Melinar/Kalana. His first act was to check whether the stars were in the right place. He felt untold relief that everything looked normal. After facing the destruction head on, he still felt a little ill, and it wasn't something Ben'ak could fix. The symbiote felt the same way, in fact. Some things simply weren't meant to happen.

Putting the future behind him, David began the descent through Earth's atmosphere, and the flight to the target zone. Within half an hour, he had located the place. At least, that's what the computer told him. While the coordinates matched, there was no visible sign of disturbance. He landed the ship on the closest piece of flat, clear ground. A deep scan showed him the location of the caverns, but a shield blocked the ring transporter.

He didn't bother trying the Asgard transporter, as the computer showed it had been rendered useless by the ravages of the energy the ship – and his body – had absorbed. He hoped that Anise had succeeded in retrieving Melinar before the same happened to her transporter. Unfortunately, that seemed likely, since the site was undisturbed.

The doorway into the side of the hill was easy enough to find. It was well hidden by underbrush and did not obviously look like a door, but David had been her before – albeit in the future. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a crystal – the key. The Tok'ra Council held the only other copy. Actually, it was the same copy, but younger, and not likely to vanish from reality in the near future.

David pressed the crystal into a small octagonal hole in the rock face. The lock released with a single click and the door silently opened inwards, leaving a gaping hole into the dark underground hallway. Now that the entrance was unsealed, the remainder of the hidden laboratory could be reached, given time. Time was something David and Ben'ak did not have in abundance. They would need to recruit someone else to finish the task.

Anticipating such a problem, David had planned ahead and determined the bearing to the nearest town. He'd also had Anise research who would be around and when. The flight took a mere five minutes, but he spent a further fifteen minutes ensuring the ship was well-concealed. He expected the cloak would fail at some point before the ship ceased to exist, and didn't want it spotted by the general public. While some changes to the timeline were definitely needed, he would rather avoid scaring random people.

With a silent word of farewell to his trusty ship, David abandoned the craft and set out through the bush to where he knew the town waited. It wasn't much of a place, but a few hundred people called it home. It had been a mining town, and it would be a mining town again in the future – albeit much too late for his purposes. In the meantime, a few stragglers held on to this dry corner of the planet they had become attached to, and the mining companies occasionally sent someone to poke around the rocks, in search of this mineral or that metal, whatever they thought would pay.

In fact, there was one now. Some sort of surveyor, checking that he gear in the back of his ute (i.e. utility vehicle) was properly tied down. Obviously the fellow was about to head out on a drive down one of the many bush tracks. Most likely the wrong one, unless David intervened. "G'day!" he called out, catching the man's attention with a local greeting.

"Morning, stranger!" He offered his hand, and David shook it. "Ken Lucas."

"David Owen. Doctor Owen, actually, but you can call me Dave."

"Doctor, huh? Same here, actually. Geology. You?"

"Astrophysics."

"Right, right," Ken answered, nodding. "Whatcha doing in a little place like this, dressed like that?" He eyed David's Tok'ra outfit.

"It's quiet, the sky is clear and dark, and there's hardly any electromagnetic interference. Perfect for receiving Deep Space Radar Telemetry." He intentionally borrowed the SGC cover story, knowing they would hear about it eventually.

"Deep Space Radar Telemetry. You don't say?" It wasn't Ken's field, so he didn't have much of an answer.

"Yep, but that's not why I need to talk to you. Who do you work for?" There wasn't any company logo or signage on the geologist's vehicle to reveal this, even though David already knew.

"Federal government. They want to know if there's any viable deposits left to the south of here."

"Federal, eh? Perfect. There's something you really need to see, west of here."

"Hang on, mate, I can't just drop everything and…"

"Trust me, this will be worth it, and it's not too far. You know Magpie Hill?"

"Yep, I went there a couple of years ago. It's half an hour from here, if the track's clear. What's all the fuss about? Surely not gold."

"Much more interesting than gold. You might call it buried treasure." He received a doubtful look from Ken. "Really, I'm not spoofing."

"Spoofing?"

Oops, wrong vernacular. "I'm not messing with you. It's fair dinkum. And we'd really better go now."

"It'll still be there in the arvo."

"True, but I won't be here in the afternoon. I have a deadline coming up. If you want to see this, it has to be now. And let me tell you, you seriously need to see this."

"If yer sure, I don't see the harm in a little side-trip. Hop in." He opened the passenger door – on the left – and motioned for the astrophysicist to take a seat.

David did so, and soon the pair – and Ken's dog who jumped in the ute's tray - were bouncing westward. The track was pretty rough, but it had been kept clear of trees, so they didn't lose any time. "Dry, isn't it?" the Tok'ra host commented.

"Yeah, I heard it hasn't rained out here in a couple of months. They're forecasting it might sprinkle this week, but the blokes at the pub sounded downright doubtful."

"Two days from now. You can bet on it," David told him.

"What, you've been talking to the man upstairs?"

David grinned. "Something like that. How'd you get into geology?"

"I always had an eye for rocks, and I heard there was money in it. Didn't expect to end up in places like this, but it's nice to get a change of scenery."

"It sure is." David had seen far more varied scenery than the geologist, but there was no point in bringing it up. It would be best to let Ken find out for himself. "Made many finds?"

"Hidden copper vein earlier this year. Good stuff too." Ken had been watching the 'road' ahead, but something caught his eye to his left. He turned, and saw his passenger light up with flashes of blue energy. Behind them, the dog howled woefully. "Well paint me yellow and call me a taxi! What in bleedin' heck is that?"

David tried to shake the pain out of his head, with little success. "Just an… unfortunate side effect," he answered breathlessly. "It can't hurt you or your truck, I guarantee."

"Side effect of what? Eating batteries for breakfast?"

"Close encounter with an extreme energy field, combined with space-time warping. Nasty stuff."

"Uh, if you say so."

"Try to ignore it. It'll go away." And so would David and Ben'ak, but he kept that to himself. There was no need to waste his limited remaining breath explaining things which would later be obvious.

"Yeah… this better be worth it." Ken didn't sound so certain about this side-trip now.

"It will be. No worries. Ouch!" The ute had hit another bump at an uncomfortably high speed.

"Sorry 'bout that. The suspension can only do so much."

David nodded, and daydreamed of inertial dampeners.

-

"This the place?" Ken questioned, stopping the ute in the same clearing David had landed his ship.

"Sure is." He pointed at the rock face. "Over there." He climbed out of the vehicle, feeling rather unsteady. The ride had been rough, and periodic energy pulses hadn't helped.

"You alright, mate?"

"Been better. I've been worse too. I think I can walk."

"I'd better give you a hand." Ken stepped beside the odd stranger and allowed him to lean on his shoulder. "Sure you don't need a hospital?"

"Wouldn't be any use," David answered as he hobbled to the entrance. "Here we are."

Ken followed David inside, looking closely at the smooth, square-cut walls of the tunnel. "What is this place?" He clicked on his torch (aka flashlight) for a better view.

"The entrance to an ancient laboratory."

"A lab? Whose lab?"

"Cha'lal."

"Means nothing to me, mate. That an Aboriginal name?"

"No. Does this look like something they'd do?" He indicated the walls.

"You're right, that looks a bit like Egyptian writing. What was an Egyptian doing here?" Ken asked as they walked deeper into the hill. The tunnel sloped slightly upward.

"Not exactly an Egyptian, but related, in a way."

Ken found the end of the tunnel: a blank wall. "This is it?" David didn't answer right away, as he was distracted by the need to roll on the floor in pain. "Dave?"

"Sorry, it's getting worse. Uh… there's a hidden lock which activates a mechanism to lower the slab," he explained once he felt able. Ken began to feel the end wall. "No, it's on the left wall. There's six buttons which you need to press simultaneously."

"Which symbols?"

"They're unique." David stood to help Ken find them, but quickly collapsed again. "I don't have much time left. Promise me you'll get the government in on this. But you can't tell the public, not yet."

"I don't have any idea what I'm dealing with! How can I tell anyone what I don't know?" Ken protested.

"Do you know any… archaeologists?" David asked painfully.

"Sure, I know a guy. He's really into Egypt and all that. Owes me a favour."

"Good, get him in here. He'll know what to do, if you can…" He fell silent and grimaced in pain. After the episode had passed, he continued, "If you can get him to accept there's Egyptian writing here in Australia."

"And this is important?"

"Vital. I'm… dead serious. Promise me you won't just forget about this. The future of the universe… aaaaaaaaaarrgh!" A really bad pulse hit. Ben'ak was dead, and David wouldn't last much longer.

"Alright, I won't let you down. I swear it." He meant it too. Despite the weirdness of the situation, and everything that went unexplained, he could read the urgency in Dave's face.

"Good," David replied with utter relief. "You must… vital… Cha'lal." The name was carried on his last breath.

"Dave? Dave? No, you can't just die on me in the middle of nowhere!" Ken protested. He hesitated, and reached for David's neck, hoping to find a pulse. He had almost touched the skin when the fizzling blue energy made him recoil. "Ahh!" He jumped away and covered his eyes. The glow in the room diminished, and he looked in time to see the last of the energy dissipate. Dave's body had gone.

Ken's jaw dropped, and his brain stalled at the task of finding a strong enough curse. The only thing he understood was that nothing was going to stop him from finding out what kind of crazy stuff was hidden away in the alleged laboratory. Whatever it was, it had to be seriously major for a guy like Dave to give his life to uncover it.

-

Next Chapter – we return to Jack's place!


	5. SG1 Discuss Various Things

Chapter 2 – SG-1 Discuss Various Things

Jack opened himself a beer. "None for you, Danny, at least not until after Carter and T arrive."

"Uh, why?"

"So they have a chance at coherent conversation with you, Mister Lightweight."

"Oh, ha ha."

_I can prevent the alcohol from affecting you,_ Melinar pointed out.

/Good point./ "I'll be fine. Give it over!"

Jack shook his head. "Nope."

_I never said I would, just that I could,_ Melinar teased.

"Stop ganging up on me," Daniel grumbled.

"You'll get your beer, just not yet. Do you want to tell me what really happened?"

"Jack?"

"There's something about the incident you kept to yourself."

"Of course there is, Jack. I didn't think you wanted me telling the cops about the Tok'ra. There's no way anyone would believe that Autumn didn't die instantly, and other witnesses saw that I was inside when – when it happened – so I couldn't tell them that I could identify the vehicle without raising too many questions."

"You can identify the vehicle?"

Daniel focussed on the memory from his symbiote. "Yeah, make, model, colour, plates, and there were at least two people in it. They were wearing white shirts, blue ties, and mirrored sunglasses."

"Melinar kept her alive long enough to tell you," Jack realised.

"Um, not exactly. Autumn asked me to look after Melinar for her." There, he'd said it.

"Daniel? Are you saying… no, you can't seriously mean that. You didn't…"

"Why not, Jack? Autumn was dying, and Melinar would have died with her. I couldn't just let that happen. They both trusted me, and I them."

Jack groaned. "Daniel, did you stop and think about what happened last time one of us did something like this?"

"That's not fair, Jack. I know Melinar personally. It's a completely different situation."

"And what about her sister, Jolinar?"

_That was a low blow._ /Yeah, Jack's like that. He's just worried./ "Melinar doesn't have an Ashrak hunting her. I agreed to this. Look, Jacob is happy with Selmak. We've had some problems with some of the Tok'ra, but that doesn't make them all bad."

"Okay, let's suppose Melinar is a nice friendly Tok'ra. I still find it hard to believe that you of all people would agree to let one in your head, considering… you know."

"Sha're," Daniel acknowledged. "Ammaunet took her from me. But Melinar is preserving Autumn – Kalana – for me. If Melinar died, the memories she shared with Kalana would die with her."

"Did you consider that your personal feelings are affecting your judgement?"

"Of course. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Jack sighed. "I guess not. Not for you."

"Because I'm not military."

"Yeah."

"So…"

"So… what now?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, Melinar was the Tok'ra consultant to the SGC. Does she want to keep doing that?"

/Well? There's nothing to stop you from continuing to help us in the same way./ _I agree. Also, we previously mentioned the possibility of Kalana and I accompanying an SG team for missions. I would be willing for you to continue in your position on SG-1, assuming a fifth member is welcome._ /I hope so. The team hasn't been the same since Junior quit./ _Who is Junior?_ /Teal'c's symbiote, before he switched to Tretonin./ _Oh. That was a terrible joke._ /Yes, I admit it was./

"Daniel?

"Sorry, got distracted. We hope we can both continuing doing what we're already doing. Melinar with her Tok'ra knowledge-sharing thing, and me with my SG-1 thing."

"You'd stay on SG-1?"

"If you'll have Melinar, sure."

"Well, we shouldn't rush into a decision. But... it is about time we replaced Junior."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "That was tasteless." _Hey, that's the same joke you made!_ /Jack doesn't need to know that./ _Yes, he does. Once of us is going to tell us, and I think everyone would be happier if it was you._ Daniel shook his head in resignation.

"Deep thoughts, Danny?"

"Not really. Melinar was just convincing me to tell you that I already made the same joke."

"Oh. I'm a bad influence, aren't I?"

"Yes, but you won't give me any beer."

"Just wait, you'll get your beer." Jack noticed the sounds of a car arriving and doors opening. "That should be Carter with T."

Daniel quickly stood up from the couch. "I'll be in the kitchen. Can you give them the heads up? I don't want to worry Sam like last time."

"Last time?"

"When you met Autumn."

"Ahh, yes, I'd rather avoid that." Jack waited for Daniel to leave the room before opening his front door. "Come on in, kids," he greeted. Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Daniel's in the kitchen."

"How is he, Sir? Was he hurt?"

"Only in his heart. He's putting on a brave face." He waved the visitors to the living room, saying, "Take a seat, and a beer."

Sam nodded and did as suggested. "Sir, I was thinking about the unique situation and... I'm not sure how to say this."

"Carter?"

"Did anyone check whether Melinar is still... with Kalana? Because if she didn't die straight away, she may have asked Daniel to..."

"Carter," the colonel interrupted.

"Sir?"

"Don't you think Daniel would have told me if he'd become a Tok'ra host?" he asked.

Sam didn't need to think to answer. "Of course he would have."

"You're right, he did."

"He… he did?"

"Yes, but thanks for the warning. It's good to know you anticipated the possibility."

"You're welcome, Sir." She was still trying to process the revelation and couldn't think of what else to say.

"You can come out now, Daniel," Jack called to the kitchen. "I've told them."

Daniel emerged, looking a little nervous. "Uh, hi Sam, Teal'c. I… I couldn't let her die when I knew I could save her," he explained.

"I understand, Daniel," Sam replied. "I know from Jolinar that this isn't the first time something like this has happened."

Daniel nodded. "I hope this doesn't bring back bad memories for you, Sam."

"I'm more worried about you, Daniel," Sam answered, thinking about Sha're, and Daniel's ex-girlfriend Sarah.

"Don't. The Goa'uld took Sha're and Sarah, but Melinar has preserved a part of Autumn. It's completely different." He paused for a moment, and then asked, "What do you think of all this, Teal'c?"

"You have shown great honour and trust in your actions today, DanielJackson," the warrior replied solemnly. "You have also suffered great loss, but have risen above it. For that, you have my condolences and my respect."

Daniel directed an appreciative smile at the Jaffa. "Thanks, Teal'c. That means a lot to me."

"I also extend my condolences to Melinar, who lost her host. I am pleased her life was spared."

_Did you hear that? Teal'c likes me!_ /Yeah, he does. You're a very likable Tok'ra./ Thanks. _I try to be. Would you mind if I speak to Teal'c?_ /Go ahead, but I'll warn the others first./ "Guys? I'm letting Melinar have a turn." Daniel closed his eyes and relaxed, allowing the symbiote to take control.

"_This is different,"_ Melinar began. _"I hope this doesn't make you too uncomfortable."_

"We'll cope," Jack replied, sounding slightly less than certain.

"_It's strange for me too. I'm more familiar with looking into Daniel's eyes, rather than out of them."_

"I so didn't need to hear that," Jack protested.

"_My apologies, Colonel."_ She turned to face Teal'c. _"Teal'c, it brings me joy to hear your concerns for my welfare. I understand that you do not say the same to many Tok'ra. There is much my kind should learn from the Tau'ri."_

"Indeed," Teal'c answered, with the hint of a curve in his lips.

"_Major Carter, I hope we can continue to work together. Rather than you and Daniel sharing my time, it appears that we will need to share Daniel's time. Fortunately, it should become easier for Daniel and I to work together, considering our new… living arrangements."_

"Of course. But will Daniel stay on SG-1?" Sam asked.

"The short answer is 'yes'. The slightly less short answer is, 'yes, Hammond willing'," Jack answered. "We may need to choose our missions carefully though. Some folks aren't fond of the Tok'ra, or mistake them for their fancily-dressed cousins."

"There's another thing we need to worry about, Sir," Sam began.

"There always is," Jack griped.

"Kalana's death wasn't an accident. I think that Melinar was likely the reason, which means Daniel could be in danger if word gets out if Melinar is still alive."

"_A likely and worrying deduction,"_ Melinar commented, startling Jack, who'd begun to forget she was there. _"I believe Daniel would be better suited to discussing this issue."_

Daniel's body relaxed, and then showed a look of disorientation. "Whoa, that takes a bit of getting used to," said Daniel in his regular voice. "I think Sam's right. Autumn didn't have any enemies, or anyone who would benefit from her death. Other than Melinar, the only motivation is Autumn's connection to me, but anyone who knows I'm part of the SGC would know that Autumn was actually Kalana, host to Melinar. Either way, Melinar and I would be in danger if the wrong person finds out about us."

"The sooner we track down that car, the better."

"The car, Sir?" Sam questioned.

"Daniel can identify the vehicle. Well, Melinar actually. In the meantime, we need to keep this knowledge to a few people as possible. I can't keep it from Hammond, but I can convince him not to report it yet. He'll have already requested a Tok'ra visit, so Jake and Sel should be dropping by. They need to know, and can decide whether the others need to know yet."

"Janet needs to know too," Sam added.

"And there's the naquadah detectors. They'll need to be programmed to let me in and out of the base without tipping anyone off," Daniel mentioned.

"There's that. No one will expect you on base for a few days, so we have time to sort that out," Jack replied.

"You're forgetting something."

"What's that?"

"My beer."

"Fine, here you go." Jack handed Daniel a bottle. "I hope you don't have anything else important to say, because now we'll never hear it."

"Actually, Sir, Melinar should be able to counteract the effects of the alcohol," Sam pointed out.

"Sam! I was hoping to surprise him. Maybe even win some of my Poker money back by outdrinking him," Daniel protested. _You really should know better than to play poker,_ Melinar chided.

"Sorry, Daniel. But isn't Teal'c the one you lost to?"

"Indeed."

"Ahem!" Jack gained everyone's attention. "Could you perhaps use your brilliant minds to figure out who wants Mel dead?"

"Not the rogue NID faction. They would sooner kidnap her. If a Goa'uld wanted her dead, they would have sent an Ashrak, to make sure she was really dead. Or more likely, taken her prisoner to try to get intel," Sam reasoned.

"I don't know why any of our enemies would have just killed her rather than trying to make use of her," said Daniel. "Someone simply wanted her out of the way. From the method, I'd guess it was someone influential on Earth."

"Someone doesn't want the SGC to benefit from Melinar. Someone who doesn't want us to succeed in our mandate," Jack surmised.

Daniel said the name which everyone was thinking. "Kinsey."

"It fits," Jack agreed needlessly.

"If it is determined that he was responsible, RobertKinsey will answer for his actions," Teal'c declared.

"I'd better start tracking down that vehicle," Sam decided.

"Not after you've been drinking. You'd better wait until tomorrow. We don't want you deleting the Internet by mistake," Jack ordered.

"Yes, Sir. Of course not, Sir."

Jack was almost certain she was concealing laughter.

-

Next Chapter: another 'Previously'. Including a certain Dr Rayner.


	6. Previously 2: Looking Inside

Previously 2 – Looking Inside

Note: this takes place a little way in the past, almost immediately after 'Previously 1' left off.

-

The phone rang. It was after 10:30 PM and the phone rang. Many people would have ignored it or simply not heard it on account of being asleep, but Doctor Rayner was wide awake and in his office. He was still reluctant to answer, on account of being busy, but since he had already been interrupted… "Doctor Rayner speaking. Who's this?"

"Hey, I'm glad I caught you. It's Doctor Ken Lucas. Remember me?"

"I might. Where did we meet?"

"Your book signing in Sydney. Australia. The time those kids set off the sprinkler system."

"Oh. That. You were the one who saved my laptop computer," Steven remembered.

"Yep, that was me."

"Why are you calling so late?" the archaeologist demanded.

"I couldn't get a phone signal earlier, and this couldn't wait. I've found something that's right up your alley."

"I seriously doubt that, unless you're performing a geological survey overseas," Steven answered sceptically.

"Nope, I'm smack in the middle of Australia. But I've come across a mess of inscriptions which look downright Egyptian. You have to check this out!"

"There shouldn't be anything like that in Australia. Not anything genuine."

"You certain of that?"

Steven sighed. "Stranger things have happened." He thought back to the Kleinhouse expedition, who were found dead around a decidedly Egyptian artefact within a Mayan temple, and to the tale he'd been told by the Air Force about a cult who had drugged or brainwashed his co-worker to perpetuate the 'Curse of Osiris'. He suspected something shifty was transpiring, and had the slightest inkling that history may not be as well understood as he purported in his own writings. He usually suppressed such worrying thoughts, but moments like this pulled them to the front of his mind. "Alright, I'll come and check it out."

"Thanks, you won't regret it. Just don't tell anyone about it, I don't want anyone else poking around here," Ken warned.

"Don't worry, I understand the need for secrecy." Steven had made plenty of finds which he had to keep under wraps to prevent others from attempting to steal his thunder.

"Great, I'll see you soon, mate." Ken provided the necessary contact details and location, and they arranged a time and place to meet.

-

"It's not much further," Ken promised, a week later.

"It had better not be. This is a very rough track," Steven complained.

"I thought you would be used to this sort of thing."

"There's nothing in Egypt quite like this. Though I will allow that it's not as hot here."

"Yeah, it's a good thing this place isn't in the middle of one of our deserts," Ken agreed. "Ahh, here we are." The ute entered the familiar clearing and stopped close to the entrance.

"How did you find this place?" Steven wondered.

Ken stepped out of the vehicle and beckoned for the archaeologist to follow. "That's a long story. Mind your step, I've propped the door open with some wood. I might not be able to get it open again – the key's gone missing."

"Key?"

"Some sort of crystal. It fit in a hole in the rock and the door opened. But it's gone now."

"Hmm. This writing is certainly Egyptian. A very old script, too. It will take a while to translate. If you'd been able to send me photographs…"

"Sorry, it's like I told you. We already know what the place looks like. I work with charts, not cameras," Ken defended. But Steven wasn't paying much attention, as he was already engrossed in the ancient writings and comparing them with the notes he carried.

"Resting place – or tomb – deceit, or deceiver – the tomb of deceit? Or resting place of the deceiver? Or a false tomb? Traitor to sun resistance – no, Ra resistance. Sealed and forgotten until the rise – no, until need arises. Stored are fearsome creations – her fearsome creations, actually. Allow free use exclusive – no, that's not it. Let them only be used for freedom. Let… something fall. I can't translate that word. Go in using the fruit – no, that's the left. Knowledge needed… of world's location. That doesn't make sense."

"There's some buttons we need to press on the left hand all at the end of the tunnel to open a doorway," Ken clarified.

Steven shot him a questioning look. "How do you know that?"

"A guy told me. He showed me this place and he had the key."

"And where is this 'guy' now?"

"He died. And then he vanished. He said he was an astrophysicist – Doctor David Owen."

"Died? From what?"

"He kept getting these weird electrical shocks from nowhere. It was like nothing I've ever seen. And as soon as he died, he just disappeared like he'd never existed. He left the crystal in the door, but that went too."

Steven groaned at this new complication. "Let's see these buttons you mentioned." He followed Ken to the end of the tunnel and examined the carvings. There were dozens of raised squares, each bearing a single symbol. "These are just the same symbols as in the message, but I can't find any particular order or meaning to them," he said after a few minutes.

"Dave said we need to push six of them, and that they're unique."

"Couldn't he have done it?"

"Give the guy a break, he was dying."

"Fine, if you say so. Let's see, a few of them aren't letters like the others. Here's one, and there's another… there's eight of them all up. Which six do we press?"

"Are they arranged in some kind of pattern?" Ken suggested.

"Not any that I can see. How about I try pressing these three, and you press those three?" They did, but nothing happened. "Now try pressing that one instead of the first one." They tried several different combinations, until on the tenth try they heard a grating sound and the panel behind them opened. "It had to work eventually, there were only 28 possibilities, assuming what 'Dave' told you is correct." Steven made a note of the correct symbols, an added, "But I'm not sure that this has to do with knowing the location of the world."

Ken shrugged. "Let's see what's down the rabbit hole."

They proceeded together down the newly opened tunnel. The entrance was no longer visible, so the only light was from their torches (though Steven, being American, called his a flashlight). The floor sloped slightly downwards, and the tunnel continued for about as far as the first leg. Steven kept an eye on the walls, floor, and ceiling, but didn't see any more writing. "The construction certainly isn't primitive," he commented as they came to the end of the tunnel. "Now where to?"

"No idea. There's nothing on the walls… but there is a groove in the floor," the geologist discovered. "Looks like we've got a manhole cover."

Together they lifted the small slab of stone, revealing a hole with a metal ladder leading down. Steven took a glow stick out of his pocket, bent it to start the glow, and dropped it. It fell for several seconds, indicating that the bottom was a few storeys down. "Seems to be safe. We'll take it one at a time. I'll go first." He carefully clambered down the ladder, with no mishaps. "There's a second ladder offset from the first, also leading down," he called back up.

"Wait for me, mate," Ken requested, his voice echoing off the walls. "I'm coming down now. I just dragged the slab a bit further from the hole, just in case." He soon joined his companion in the small space that served as a landing between the two ladders. "I hope there's not too many more of these. This place goes pretty deep."

"I can't tell where it leads, but the next ladder is as long as the first," Steven reported. "It's a little dusty, but the air feels remarkably fresh."

"Good thing. The wouldn't find out bodies any time soon if we suffocated down here. If I knew we were going so deep in the hill, I'd have brought more equipment."

"We've come this far, so we might as well continue," said the archaeologist as he positioned himself on the second ladder. "Here goes." He climbed down, a little faster than the first time, and soon found himself at the bottom. "It seems to be a large room. Air's a little dusty, but quite breathable," he reported to Ken as he shone his torch around. "The ladder comes down right in the middle." He looked closer at some of the crates, shelves, and racks. "Whatever this stuff is, it can't have been put here by ancient Egyptians. The inscription in the entrance tunnel looked old, but it couldn't have been."

Ken reached the floor and added his light to Steven's. "Dave said it was an ancient lab, and that's what it looks like," he said as he looked at the empty benches, racks of crystals, unknown pieces of equipment, crates of various materials, and shelves of tools, some fairly familiar, and others bizarre.

Steven grew more excited the more he saw. "This is incredible! The technology looks similar to modern – or dare I say better – but the style is vastly different. A lot of it looks like it would fit in at one of my dig sites, but it's much too advanced. I've never seen anything like it. This is the find of the century!"

"The twentieth or the twenty-first?" Ken wondered as he wiped dust of some kind of fancy armband.

"Both! Perhaps there was an incredibly advanced culture which was wiped out to the point that all clues about their existence were interpreted as other things. A small group – perhaps an elite band of Egyptian scientists who passed down knowledge and advanced technology in secret until they eventually died out. Maybe they had to flee from their people and ended up here," Steven speculated.

"I don't see any bodies. But there's only so much you can see with these little torches. I wonder if these people invented light switches? We don't want our batteries going flat."

"Flat? Oh, you mean dead." Steven examined the ceiling to see if any lighting was evident. "There's several spheres in the ceiling which could be lights," he noted. He followed wires from them to one of the walls. "There must be something over this way." He navigated between crates that contained some kind of metal ingots and located a control panel, complete with buttons and coloured indicator lights. "There's also the possibility this could be a movie set," he suggested. "Any other explanation I can think of sounds outrageous."

"I only know what Dave told me," Ken replied. "He said it was an ancient laboratory. Belonging to, uh, Sh-lal, whoever that was."

Steven looked carefully over the control panel, which was annotated in a language unlike that on the tunnel walls. He'd seen this kind of writing before. Some of his excitement was replaced with worry. "This writing was on a couple of canopic jars. One with the image of Osiris, the other Isis – both were Egyptian gods, like Ra. The United States Air Force confiscated the Isis jar, and the Osiris jar was destroyed in a gas explosion which killed my mentor. There was also an amulet which was carbon dated to over ten thousand years old – much older than it should have been. I took the amulet back to the temple where it was discovered, believing it was a key. When I got there, I was attacked by one of my colleagues. It was really weird, and I still don't remember it properly. The Air Force said she'd been brainwashed by some cult who were perpetuating the curse of Osiris, but that doesn't fit the facts."

"What does she say?"

"I'm told she got away. She hasn't been seen since, or I haven't been told if she was."

"So you're saying this writing is connected to something dangerous relating to Egyptian gods?"

"Yes, and it's not the first strange thing like this to happen either."

"Oh?"

"An expedition in Mexico found a sarcophagus with Egyptian hieroglyphs in a Mayan temple, indicating it belonged to the goddess Hathor."

"What was in it?"

"It was found open and empty, and the expedition members all dead. The authorities assumed it was robbers, but maybe not. The sarcophagus was sent to my former colleague Doctor Jackson because he had some theories about connections between ancient cultures, and claimed that much of our understanding of history is incorrect. I'm starting to think he was at least partly right. He's been very silent about the subject for several years. He has some sort of job with the Air Force, which he's very secretive about, and he was involved in the whole Osiris jar saga too."

"That could have any number of explanations, good or bad," Ken figured. "We've stumbled across a mystery, a dangerous mystery. Dave made me promise to involve the government in this, but if yours is trying to cover something up, I think we'd better keep it to just Australia for now."

"I agree. And the sooner we get a team down here, the sooner we can figure out what all this is."

"And the sooner we can find the button that turns on the lights," Ken added.


	7. Mission Remembered

Chapter 3 – Mission Remembered

"General, I need to speak to you in private about a sensitive manner," Colonel O'Neill requested respectfully.

The general nodded, and pressed a button. "We're off the record. What's this about, Colonel?"

"It's about Daniel, Sir. Before his girlfriend died yesterday, she asked him to do something important for her."

"Does this task require use of the Stargate?"

"Not specifically. Sir... there's no easy way to tell you this..."

"Colonel. My time is valuable," Hammond warned.

"Daniel is 'blended' with Melinar."

The general quickly process this news. "Considering that Melinar is an important Tok'ra liaison and a source of valuable information, it is a relief to hear she is alive," he stated. Blending with Doctor Jackson may cause them problems, but it could also be beneficial for both parties."

"One benefit is that Melinar was able to identify the vehicle which hit her. Carter's trying to track it down right now. But there's a bigger issue. We think someone wants Melinar dead. I don't want to name names, but there is a certain US senator who would like to see the failure of the current SGC administration. First name rhymes with 'nob'."

"I understand. I assume you fear Doctor Jackson would be in danger if his status as host of Melinar became known?"

"That's exactly what we're worried about, General."

"I'll need to talk to the president about this, but I'll recommend that we keep this to ourselves as much as possible. Do you know how Daniel is coping with being a host?"

"A whole lot better than me, Sir. Daniel knows and trusts the snake, and she has all Autumn's memories. They're getting along fine and request to continue their respective duties as much as possible. That means we have access to Melinar during all SG-1 missions. And possibly Daniel will die less often."

"I understand. Thank you for bringing this to my attention quickly, Colonel. You've given me a lot to think about."

-

Doctor Janet Frasier gasped. "Daniel... a Tok'ra?!"

"Not so loud, Doc," Jack reminded her.

"I never thought he'd agree to that," she continued in a more moderate tone.

"That's what love does to people. But it seems to be working for him."

"I'd like to give him - them - a full checkup, just to be sure."

"You're welcome to, once we get him on base. But you can't let anyone else know. Someone wants Melinar dead, and we don't want them to know she's still alive and kicking back in our favourite rock collector."

"I understand the need for complete secrecy. And I'll make doubly sure the body is not disturbed. We don't want anyone discovering the symbiote is missing, Sir."

"Good thinking. Speaking of the body, a Tok'ra representative is due to arrive any time now. I expect they'll arrange a Tok'ra-style funeral."

"How do you suppose they will react to Kalana's death?" Janet inquired.

"I'm about to find out."

-

"Welcome to Earth, Jacob and Selmac," George Hammond greeted as the blended pair walked down the gate ramp. It was a pleasure to see his friend again. Giving the bad news, not so much.

"George! Great to find you well and in one piece. I hear you have an important matter to discuss with the Tok'ra. How is Melinar and Kalana?"

"Come up to the briefing room, and we'll discuss that," George answered, making Jacob worry.

_I fear something unfortunate has happened to our kin,_ Selmac worried. /You could be right, but it doesn't help to jump too conclusions/ Jacob replied as he walked to the briefing room. George and Colonel O'Neill were waiting there. "Colonel. I'm not surprised to see that you're part of this discussion."

"You know me, Jake," Jack replied somewhat cheekily.

"Is this about Sam?" the general-tuned-Tok'ra worried.

"No, it's more about Daniel," Jack corrected him.

"Yesterday, Kalana was deliberately hit by a moving vehicle," George quickly began to explain. Upon her death, Daniel Jackson willingly replaced her as host to Melinar. We believe it is imperative that the perpetrators not learn that they failed, as that knowledge would make Doctor Jackson a target."

"Whoa, that was not expected." /I told you it wouldn't help to guess_./ You are right. It is sad to learn of Kalana's passing, but I am relieved to hear of Melinar's safety. Daniel Jackson is a very suitable host for her._

"Jacob? Anything you want to share with the class?"

Hammond shot the playful Colonel a disapproving glare.

_"I was expressing Daniel Jackson's suitability as host,"_ Selmac answered, succeeding in startling Jack. He had it coming to him.

"Ahh, Selmac. How do you think the council will react?" the general inquired.

_"They will be displeased that one of their people cam to harm on Earth, but they will be glad that Melinar has found a willing Tau'ri host. I believe Daniel Jackson is held in high regard."_

"I hope to allow Doctor Jackson to continue as a member of SG-1. He and Melinar have expressed willingness to go on missions, and the rest of SG-1 feel they can adjust to a... new member."

"Yeah, we've worked with Melinar on base, so she's no stranger," Jack agreed.

"And as a pair they will be well suited to continue Melinar's assignment as our resident Tok'ra expert."

_"I believe this arrangement could work. I will request that the Tok'ra not replace Kalana/Melinar due to safety concerns. Unofficially, Daniel/Melinar will fill this position. The perpetrators will erroneously believe they have injured the Tokra-Tau'ri alliance."_

"Excellent plan. I believe the president will approve it. Now, I believe you will want the body for your traditional funerary proceedings." At this point, Jack lost interest.

-

_Two days later..._

"Well, you have a clean bill of health, Daniel," Janet declared.

"As expected."

"It's my job to make certain. It was my impression that you aren't that kind of doctor."

_She's fast._ /I know. It's nearly impossible to talk her out of anything medical. Even if its completely unnecessary./ _And unpleasant. But I understand her concern and her responsibility._

"Daniel? Don't you have a mission to be on?" Janet gently reminded.

"It's not a mission, it's a funeral," Daniel corrected sourly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"I'd better go. Don't want to keep Jack waiting." Daniel quickly gathered his gear, changed into the correct uniform, and joined his team.

"The Doc took her time," Jack commented as the 'gate spun.

"She didn't want to miss anything," Daniel answered, meaning Janet was very eager to see exactly how Daniel's physical state had changed since his blending.

The wormhole opened, connecting the SGC to the current Tok'ra base. "Jacob, SG-1 is ready for your word," Jack radioed through.

_"Proceed,"_ Selmac returned.

"Or your word," Jack added before stepping across the event horizon. Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c followed.

-

The Stargate issued forth its unstable energy vortex, forever destroying Kalana's body, and signaling the end of the proceedings. Various Tok'ra began to move solemnly back to the ring transporter and the relative safety of the crystal tunnels, while others tidied away signs of their presence on the surface. Daniel felt one approach him, and turned to greet them. "Freya, and Anise! Uh, hi."

"Doctor Jackson. Melinar. I was rather surprised to hear you were together, and I am sorry for your mutual loss."

But Daniel and Melinar were not paying any attention. They were remembering. Seeing Freya again had triggered a memory. One of Kalana's memories, which had been hidden until the trauma of her death. _"You... you were there. Kalana saw you,"_ Melinar said in a detached voice.

"Where was I?" Freya wondered.

_"Ra had caught us. You beamed us aboard your ship at the last moment and took us to Earth,"_ Melinar continued.

"You are mistaken."

_"No. You said you returned from the future to save me. You said that an unstoppable enemy had to be prevented from causing havoc in the galaxy."_

"Are you certain?"

_"I was not conscious, but Kalana's memories are clear. You said we had to find Cha'lal. Cha'lal is key."_

Anise took over. _"That may be true, but we hardly know anything about Cha'lal beyond legends and incomplete records."_

_"No. Not any more. I did not recall until now, but I remember I deduced her location by putting together several of Ra's records. It would not have been obvious if I had not known what to look for,"_ Melinar revealed.

"Forgive me for interrupting such an intriguing conversation, but who is Cha'lal?" interrupted Jack from Daniel's left.

Selmac spoke up from the other direction. _"According to Tok'ra legend, she is a Goa'uld queen who once sought to wipe out the Tok'ra."_

"Don't they all?"

_"She had the means to succeed."_

-

Next: We jump back to Doctor Lucas and Doctor Rayner and their investigation Down Under.


	8. Previously 3: Digging Deeper

Previously 3 – Digging Deeper

"This is amazing. No one could have guessed there was a chamber so deep in this hill," enthused Doctor Alison Hethry, a linguist and cryptanalysist in her late thirties.

"Must it being so deep? My legs can't be coping with making this trip too many times," complained Doctor Amal Bacon, who considered his field of expertise to be 'reverse engineering', and had received the moniker 'Spam'.

Ken Lucas grinned. "You'll manage it, Spam. Or you can camp down here for a few weeks. If we start explorin' now, we might find the 'facilities'."

"We wait until the riggers have the generator and lights set up," Steven instructed.

"Remember, I'm in charge here, mate," the geologist answered. "This is my turf, not one of your digs. But you're right. We don't need anyone stumblin' around in the dark."

"Are we not having torches?" Spam wondered, clicking his on and off.

"We don't wanna waste them in the main chamber," Ken explained. "They're for when you're off in another room."

"Until we figure out how to operate the lights down here," Steven added.

"Are they not needing lighting with a match?" Spam suggested.

"No, they look electric. Turns out electric lighting is not a modern as we believed," said Steven, still hardly believing it himself. He knew it, but the idea was so foreign to his mind.

"I am the one deciding what is being electric and what is not," declared the reverse engineer.

"If it zaps you, it's electric," Alison 'helped', not liking Spam's attitude.

"We are to be wearing gloves that are consisting of rubber when we are to be touching anything," Spam warned. "So we are not receiving a shock and dying."

Alison rolled her eyes and muttered, "I wish he would be stopping talking." Fortunately no one saw her in the dark, and she was not heard either. As a linguist, it annoyed her when someone misused language.

The generator cut on and the room lit up with light. Ken thanked the riggers and they returned to the surface to collect more supplies. "Let's get to work, folks. I'll look at the construction of this place and see what other rooms we can get into. Steven and Ali can look at any language samples they can find, and work on deciphering the control panel. Spam, take a look at the control panel and the lights and anything else that catches your attention, but don't take anything apart or turn it on yet. We don't know what any of this stuff is capable of."

"I will be exercising caution," Spam agreed."

"That same goes for everyone," Ken warned. "This place has something to do with a deceiver or traitor or something similar, according to Steven's translation of the writings at the entrance."

"There could be traps, weapons, poisons, or worse," Steven seconded. He motioned to Alison and they began analysing and discussing the control panel.

-

By the end of the day, little progress had been made in deciphering the symbols on the control panel. Some guesses had been made at functions of parts of it, but since it appeared to be inactive, these could not be tested. Amal had deduced the basic functions of many of the tools and other objects, but still had much left to examine. Ken had looked into several rooms off the main chamber. He had found further stores of materials and living quarters. The latter lacked power and all perishable items, and the team voted to continue with the plan of sleeping in tents on the surface until circumstances changed.

Although little progress was made, the team was in high spirits. Doctor Bacon remained annoyed at the ladders he was forced to climb, but mostly kept quiet due to the bounty of new - or was it old? - technology he had an opportunity to study. Ken was glad the team worked fairly well together. He wished he could have more, but understood that few could be spared until he proved the importance or profitability of the venture. Doctor Hethry was finding this job a challenge worthy of her skills. The mystery and general strangeness of the job made it even more intriguing. Steven Rayner was relieved no one had been hurt yet, and was looking forward to discovering the truth - about this lab, about Daniel, about Osiris and Sarah, and - last and least - about Hathor's sarcophagus.

Each hoped the new day would bring answers.

-

The next day dawned, and the scientists returned to the underground lab after a hearty breakfast. Since they were beginning at the start of the day rather than the middle, everyone hoped they would make a significant breakthrough.

Ali and Steven found some engravings bearing the same language as the control panel, some which also bore the familiar Egyptian script. This gave better opportunities to determine the context and possibly understand some small subset of the meaning of the unknown language.

Amal began studying the stocks of components Ken had found. They included metals and crystals that were not familiar to him. He tried to discern how they could have been made and where they could have originated. Much of it was far more advanced than modern technology, to the point that it was hard to believe it had come from anywhere on Earth.

It was Ken who made the big discovery. In a small side-room sat two devices, which by all indications were power generators. Beside each sat what looked suspiciously like a heavy-duty power conduit. He called for his colleagues and Spam decided they were simply unplugged because the were not in use. After some deliberation (and reservations from Doctor Rayner) Ken and Spam reattached the generators to the power grid.

The situation changed rapidly. The generators began to hum quietly and non-threateningly. A few seconds later, the lighting faded on. The mysterious tunnels quickly became far more cheery.

"That's a big improvement," said Alison, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"I am feeling relief," Spam added. "But am wondering how the air is being clean when the power was not being attached."

"Perhaps there are air filters with their own auxiliary power," Alison suggested.

"It's likely," Ken agreed.

"We should see whether the control panel is live," Steven suggested.

"Fine plan," Ken agreed. "I bet a pack of beer it's waiting for a password."

"Not taken," Alison replied, already out the door. "Besides, it only has lights, not a screen." She reached the far side of the main chamber and found the console had lit up in readiness for use. This was much as she had expected. However, she had not anticipated the view screen which had appeared, floating behind the console.

"Askin' for a password?" Ken wondered.

Steven examined the screen. "The top part is in the unknown language, but the bottom part is Egyptian. We should be able to translate that part and also use it to learn about the other."

"What about the middle part?" Alison wondered.

"It's nothing I've seen before. I'm not even sure it's a language."

"Why not? Those symbols could easily be letters."

"It's a collection of squares and rectangles of regular sizes. There's no language at all like it."

"The people who lived here could have created their own," Alison argued. "We should at least do a statistical analysis to determine whether it is more likely to be a language or decorative symbols."

"Photograph it, and see what you can do while I translate this," Steven suggested. He turned his attention to the glyphs he knew, and after a few minutes, he had figured it out. "It roughly says: Please select the language you require. Your options are: the language of... can't translate that word, the language of the... ancients? Or the language of the people of Egypt."

"I told you it was a language," said Alison with a smile of satisfaction.

Steven ignored her. "It also says: 'This is the language of the people of Egypt."

"Not leavin' anything unexplained. I like that," Ken commented.

"It's curious that it says 'people of Egypt,' but doesn't say people in the other cases," Alison observed.

"Actually, a better translation might be 'humans'," Steven admitted. "I can't say what that implies for the others."

"You can not be suggesting they are not being human."

"No, Amal, I'm not. But it could be a language attributed to the gods," Steven answered. "But I do wonder who the 'ancients' are, considering that it is written in Ancient Egyptian."

"Keep in mind that it seems to be a functional computer," Alison reminded the others. "We should find out how to select a language and see where it takes us."

"Perhaps it'll ask for a password," Ken suggested.

It didn't.

-

Doctor Amal Bacon made the next major discovery, the next day, in fact. He had been examining a tray of crystals and theorising on their purpose, when he thought of their similarity to the crystals he had seen inside the 'computer'. Following a hunch, he found a pair of sockets of the correct dimensions to accept a crystal each. He slid one into the port, causing it to hum and light up. Some status lights changed and an unfamiliar message formed above the control panel. Doctor Rayner deciphered the meaning and they chose the appropriate buttons to press.

Almost immediately, a recorded voice began to speak - a lovely female voice. Steven soon identified the language, since a written version was displayed in Egyptian, along with occasional diagrams.

"Data storage! The crystals are being used for data storage! I am feeling amazed!" Spam expressed joyously.

"That's not the biggest discovery. What you're hearing is the language of ancient Egypt. It hasn't been spoken for thousands of years!"

"What is it meaning?"

"It will take more time to translate it fully, but I think it is about one of the 'projects' carried out in this lab, back when it was in use," Steven guessed.

"Then it is sounding of value," Spam decided.

-

It turned out that the data on the crystals was extremely valuable. For starters, it informed Steven the correct pronunciation of the language of the Ancient Egyptian language, which was of great significance to him. Doctor Bacon focused on the details of experiments, and tried to match them to actual items. Ken found this avenue more interesting, since it had a more practical outcome. Even so, it was slow going, since there was a large volume of text to translate, and Steven tended to focus on the details of archaeological value rather than technical. A further difficulty was caused by the lack of order or indexing, so there was no way of determining what was on each crystal without looking through it. Even if there had been, the recordings were not focused on a particular subject, but rather reports on the events over a period of time, varying from a day to a month. In essence, they were journal entries - many to a crystal. It was impossible to find a complete, coherent explanation of a given experiment, but only snippets of detail.

For instance, there were many references to the development of a poison, including details of trials, their outcomes, chemical composition, chemical processes, and planned variations. However there was no mention to the motivation for making the poison, apart from some ill-understood references to a parasite. Similarly, there were detailed explanations of the construction and scientific principles of weapons with staggering capabilities, but no mention of who they were meant to fight. This was infuriating, especially for Steven.

The 'computer' did provide one revealing fragment - the time since the previous shutdown. If the span of over three thousand years was correct... it was hard to believe most of this technology existed now, let alone three millennia in the past.

The 'reverse engineer' found inspiration in this detail, leading to an investigation into any other metadata stored by the console. After a few hours of poking around, he discovered how to display the date each crystal was recorded. These confirmed the other date - assuming the system clock was accurate - but lead to a deeper mystery. The data indicated that the recordings covered a span of several centuries. At first the researchers took this to mean that the laboratory had been in use for many generations, but it became clear that this was not so. Each entry played was spoken with the same voice, without exception.

Ken suggested that either the clock had run fast, or the translation of time-spans was not correct. This was easily proven wrong by comparing the system clock from one day to the next. The clock worked perfectly now, and there was no reason to assume it had been wrong until now. Besides, the user would have noticed if the clock had progressed several times too fast while she was using it.

Alison suggested that the dates were correct. Her argument was that anyone capable of developing such technology could also be capable of significantly extending her lifespan. Ken figured she could be right, for all he knew, and Steven agreed that it would not be the strangest part of this mystery.

Spam was not so accepting, and carefully analysed the crystals to see if he could learn anything further. In the process, he discovered that playing all the records on a crystal only accessed roughly a third of the data stored. He quickly realised the reason - the data was stored in three languages.

"Doctor Rayner, I am discovering these crystals are likely holding recordings in three languages," he announced, after tearing the man's attention away from translations.

Steven gaped. "You mean... we have audio recordings in two completely unknown languages?!" That was a very slight exaggeration, as he had seen one language on an ill-fated canopic jar.

"I am meaning that very thing. But we should be checking to see if I am being correct."

"Incredible," Steven breathed.

It took a few minutes to figure it out, but once the language setting had been changed, it was clear that Amal was correct. Words written in the unknown script were accompanied by a voice-over, obviously performed by the same unknown female. The words themselves sounded harsh, even cruel. It was not a pleasant language.

After a few minutes, they changed to the final language - the 'blocky' one. It was again the same voice but had a very different quality to the previous language. There was a certain familiarity to it. Some found it familiar than others.

"Is it just me?" Doctor Hethry wondered. "Or does that sound a _lot_ like Latin?"

-

The work went much faster after that discovery. One reason was because Alison was skilled in Latin, so she was able to work on the blocky language while Steven translated copies of the Egyptian text. However, the main reason was the increased funding Ken was able to secure. This enabled him to employ assistants to take care of grunt work and simple tasks - the riggers had only been employed for an afternoon. The main quartet continued their regular tasks: Steven and Alison providing translations and matching them up to Spam's 'toys', while Ken oversaw the whole project and studied the structure of the tunnels when he had time.

Each was very happy to continue working on the project. Ken found it an interesting change from his regular job, and had made a promise to the 'vanishing man'. Amal was 'being in gadget Nirvana' and discovering amazing scientific advances almost daily. The puzzle of unlocking the meaning of a semi-familiar language captivated Alison's interest, along with the endless questions about who was responsible for creating this entire place. Steven was eager to break new archaeological ground and hopefully discover what Daniel was hiding, and what happened to Sarah. And now that the facility had full power, the living quarters were quite comfortable. They hardly needed to go up to the surface, though they did so most days to get some sun and exercise.

-

Doctor Alison Hethry was responsible for the next big break. After a month of translating records, she began to notice a discrepancy. The most important project to the narrator seemed to be the toxin development project (which seemed to be a kind of neurotoxin, Spam was claiming). This applied to the records on crystal, but did not seem to bear out in the real world. No trace could be found, not even of equipment which could have been used to perform the experiments described. Alison did not think it had simply been removed, and surmised that there was a part of the facility no one had yet discovered.

When Ken heard this, he shook his head and replied, "I've looked over every metre of the place. There's nothin' left."

"What about hidden passages?" Alison wondered.

Ken shrugged. "You're welcome t' look, so long as you finish your translation quota."

Now having permission, Alison diverted some of her time looking in the database of translated text and diagrams for any hint of a map, layout, or directions to a hidden room. Gradually, she drew the conclusion that there had to be more rooms somewhere, but she had no idea where they might be. On a hunch, she looked through a shelf of uncategorised items. These were objects which had not matched anything described in any of the reports. She found one which looked likely and interrupted Doctor Bacon. "Question for you, Spam."

"Hmm? What are you asking?"

"What does this do?"

"Item 213A... I am looking it up. Yes, it is attaching to the wrist."

"I could see that much."

"When the button is being pressed, it is emitting a brief radio signal."

"What range does it have?"

"Useful range is being approximately five metres," the engineer read.

"Great. Thanks. I'll bring it back in a bit." She left the main lab area with the device before Spam had a chance to object. At the doorway, she pressed the button, just to see if anything would happen. Nothing did. Her enthusiasm undiminished, she tried the button in several side rooms with no result. "Come on Alison, think. Where in your secret lab would you put the secret entrance to your super secret lab?" she asked herself aloud. "No, I'm missing something. Someone blocked this place up and added the inscription to the outermost hallway. They probably don't want people wandering into here too easily. There must be something covering the entrance. If the remaining labs are for more dangerous testing, they're probably deeper, so the entrance is most likely in the floor.

Half an hour later, Alison had found a circular marking in the floor of the main storeroom, which was mostly covered by one of the heavy shelves. It took eight people – herself included – to slide the obstruction out of the way. "This has to be it," she declared once the area was clear. "The central circle of floor must lower into the ground."

"I'm not sure that's..." "I am being worried..." "Oi, slow down..." warned her teammates, but she had already pressed the button. Contrary to her expectations, rings dropped around her from the ceiling. After a wave of deep sound and a wash of bright light, the rings vanished into the ground beneath her.

Doctor Hethry blinked at the sudden brighter light. She was outdoors, on the hill overlooking the 'camp' outside the lab's entrance. "A... a teleporter!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "Amazing! I wonder if I can get back..." She looked down and saw that she was inside a circle of dirt which looked freshlydisturbed compared to the rest of the ground. Pushing the button again caused the rings to swoosh up around her, and another sweep of light deposited her back in the laboratory. "That was a bust," she reported.

The other researchers stared at her.

"What? It's teleporter – it goes to the surface. I could see the camp. But there wasn't any hidden rooms, just sky."

As the sounds of excited conversation raged around her, Alison removed the device from her wrist and examined it more carefully. "There's a switch on the back. Maybe it controls which destination I go to. Or maybe it has an up and a down mode. Except that I've already been both up and down." She pressed again, but this time the rings seemed to take her nowhere at all. "Ooookay, that was _really_ a bust. Either I turned off the teleporter, or something is blocking it from going down. I think it's time I checked the computer."

It turned out that her intuition was right. The console had logged a message which roughly translated as 'access violation'. Further digging resulted – to Ken's amusement and Alison's frustration, a password prompt. "Has anyone seen any stone tablets with passwords written on them lying around?" she asked. "No? Pity. Hmm, entering zeroes doesn't help, and neither does the equivalent of 1234. This could take a while."

"What about Egyptian gods?" Steven suggested.

"Do you have a list?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Alison tried them. None worked. "Any other bright ideas?"

"Considering the similarity of one of the languages to Latin, how about Roman deities? I have a list of those too."

Alison shrugged. "Worth a try." And try she did. The first sixty (alphabetically) yielded nothing, but the sixty-first turned out to be a match. "Egeria. Who's she?"

"Water nymph, related to fountains and childbirth. She's actually thought to predate Roman myth, which actually make sense since her name is in the computer."

"If you'd mentioned that earlier, I would have tried it first," Alison complained. "Alright, I think I've sorted this out. Anyone want to come with?" After a minute's deliberation, she found herself back in the middle of the transport circle, with Ken, Steven, and Amal huddled around her. "It doesn't hurt at all," she promised before pressing the button.

This time it did what she had originally wanted – sent them to a previously unseen room. "Now we're getting somewhere! Oh look, the rooms are labelled. That one says 'explosives testing', and on the other side says 'chemical weapons'. And... wow." She hurried down the tunnel, looking for any indication of something other than more labs. "I think she one says 'sleeping chamber'," she said, coming to the last door. "It's more likely to have answers to our questions than any of the labs."

The door slid open with the press of a button recessed in the wall, a feature shared by most of the doors. Alison stepped inside, followed by the men. "Of course, it could also be translated 'stasis pod', depending on how you look at it. Either way, this is... amazing."

To the side of the room sat another pair of active power generators. In the centre rested a long glass box, having similar dimensions to a coffin. Within its crystal walls lay a woman. She was clad in a long emerald robe, and matching sandals, which appeared to be fashioned from metal. Her hair was a thick, silky black and reached to her waist at least. Her face was an example of flawless beauty, though her eyes were closed as if in sleep. Though she lay perfectly still – not even breathing – the box was alive with a constant flux of rippling energy.

"This is appearing incredible! The box is keeping the body intact," Spam mused.

"Or alive," Steven added.

"Maybe we can wake her," Ken suggested.

"Or perhaps it's keeping her asleep, for a good reason," amended Steven.

But Alison was already translating the text on a much smaller control panel. "It's simple, really." And with those three words, the energy flared brighter for a few seconds, and then stopped.

"She is beginning breathing!" Spam explained, as the top panel of glass separated from the chamber and slid away.

"I have a bad feeling about this," bemoaned Steven, readying an energy weapon he had thought to grab from the shelf. "We really should have translated the text on the walls before doing anything," he suggested, much too late.

The sides of the box now dropped away, and the woman's eyelids fluttered open, revealing living pools of green which matched her robe. She lifted her head, and pulled herself into a sitting position. As she considered her surroundings, her lovely face showed a mixture of relief and worry. Her red lips parted, and she spoke in a voice which was immediately familiar.

"She says, 'I have woken'," Alison translated. "In the blocky language," she added needlessly. Then she said as well as she could in the foreign tongue, "We mean you no harm. I am Alison."

The stranger – though she didn't seem like a stranger after hearing her voice almost constantly for the past month – nodded in understanding. "I am Cha'lal," she replied.

-

Note: Wow, that turned out to be rather long! Sorry it's rather late in coming.

I didn't know there were so many Roman deities. Wow! (Yes, Egeria is 61 on the list on Wikipedia.)

It's quarter past midnight, so I'll probably find typos in the morning. Feel free to point out any you find :D (yep, there's a major one bunch which I'm sure I changed. Must have somehow lost the changes. Thanks for finding that Roeskv!)

Hope you enjoyed reading!

(extra note: fixed a bunch of typos. extra extra note: and a missing y in readying. extra extra extra note: and a missing 'ed' in the second sentence.)


	9. A Tok'ra Legend

Chapter 4 – A Tok'ra Legend

(slight recap)

"Forgive me for interrupting such an intriguing conversation, but who is Cha'lal?" interrupted Jack from Daniel's left.

Selmac spoke up from the other direction. _"According to Tok'ra legend, she is a Goa'uld queen who once sought to wipe out the Tok'ra."_

"Don't they all?"

_"She had the means to succeed."_

-

(and now, the chapter!)

-

Jack frowned. "You never thought to mention this character to us before?"

_"The legends of Cha'lal could not be substantiated. Until now,"_ Anise answered.

"How about we get everyone who needs to hear this into one place, so we don't need to repeat it?" Jack suggested. "I assume knowing where this Cha'lal snake is holed up is important," he added tentatively.

"You could say that," Daniel agreed. "By matching Ra's..."

"Uh!" Jack stopped him. "Just tell me where she is."

"According to..."

"Short version, Danny-boy."

"Earth."

Jack groaned. "That's just our luck. A powerful Goa'uld queen running around on Earth. That did not go well the first time."

"Don't remind me."

"Sorry." Jack turned to find the other members of SG-1, who were conversing with various other Tok'ra. "Carter, Teal'c, Jake, over here! We need to talk." When the group was complete he introduced, "Daniel and Melinar just remembered that there's a Goa'uld queen on Earth."

Jacob Carter shook his head. "You can't be serious."

_"It is true. Cha'lal is on Earth. I learned this from Ra's records," Melinar answered._

Jacob was surprised to hear this. "Cha'lal? For real?" _ "This is most unexpected,"_ Selmac added.

"Cha'lal? I've never heard of a Goa'uld queen of that name. It's not in Jolinar's memories as far as I know either," Sam reported.

_"Jolinar cared little about such 'unfounded myths',_" Melinar spoke.

"Apparently not so unfounded. What are the goods on this Cha'lal?" Jack urged, sick of everyone talking around the issue.

Melinar began to explain. _ "According to Tok'ra legend, Cha'lal was a friend of our mother, Egeria. Egeria was said to have won her over to the Tok'ra cause. Cha'lal was a scientist who worked in secret to produce weapons to be used against the Goa'uld. However, some of our number suspected she was still in league with the System Lords and planned to use her weapons against us. They tracked her to find the location of her hidden lab. It is said that the weapons they found were so terrible that they could not risk destroying the facility for fear they might release something terrible or destroy the planet as well."_

"I assume they didn't kill this snake outright?" Jack stated.

_"She was reportedly left in stasis for the day her knowledge is desperately needed. Unfortunately the few who knew where she rests died without passing on the secret. As centuries passed, many doubted she ever existed."_

"Wow," Sam uttered.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

Jack was rather... upset, to use a polite term. "You left a treacherous Goa'uld queen lying around on Earth in a lab full of super-weapons?"

_"It was not our doing,"_ Anise defended. "And we do not know whether those Tok'ra knew the significance of the planet they followed Cha'lal to," Freya added.

"You just ended a sentence with a preposition," Jack muttered. Fortunately quietly enough that she did not hear.

Unfortunately, Daniel did hear, and in reply whispered, "Better that than a proposition." Jack chose to simply glare.

"How did you discover her lab is on Earth?" Sam asked.

"Cha'lal left directions for Egeria, so her work would not be lost in the event of her death or capture. Egeria did not read them, for reasons of secrecy. Unfortunately, they were lost and intermingled with Ra's records. Each part of the directions was disguised as an innocuous document, so it was not easy to located and access them all."

_"But you had to leave them in place to avo__id detection. You only have memories, not actual copies,"_ Anise deduced.

_"Correct, though I was caught regardless."_

"Melinar of Malkshur, how is it possible for you to know such details?" Teal'c inquired.

"Good question," Jack seconded.

_"I am one of very few Tok'ra who hold genetic memory from Egeria relating to this matter. She suppressed memories of Cha'lal as much as possible. Learning of her friend's betrayal hurt our mother deeply. While this may have protected us from her grief, the rarity of this memory caused many to doubt its veracity,"_ Melinar explained sadly.

"For that, I apologise," Selmac replied softly.

"I suppose you two have already deciphered these directions and know exactly where the lab is?" Jack asked Daniel and Melinar.

"Uh... actually, we haven't made head or tail out of it yet," Daniel admitted.

"Then how do you know it's on Earth?" Jacob wondered.

"Melinar can answer that," Daniel told him. He let the symbiote take control, and she began to explain_. "When Kalana escaped from Ra, his ship was close to Abydos, so the closest planet, to which she fled, was Earth. We were pursued, and almost destroyed when we were beamed aboard another craft. When she awoke, Anise and Freya were there. Anise explained that she had travelled from the future to save me, and told Kalana that she had to prevent an unstoppable foe by exposing Cha'lal as soon as possible. Due to the trauma, this memory did not surface and pass to me until Kalana was near to death. Anise and her ship were utterly destroyed by deleterious effects of the method of time travel, immediately before landing."_

"Time travel?" Jack questioned.

"You were beamed?" Sam added.

"By Anise?" Jacob continued.

"The memory of transport is consistent with Asgard technology," Daniel explained. "Perhaps some day their technology will be shared with allies such as the Tok'ra."

"I'm more worried about the 'unstoppable foe' they went as far as travelling back in time to stop. Cha'lal herself?" Jack speculated.

"We don't know that either. All Freya was able to tell Kalana was 'stealers of stars'."

Jacob looked thoughtful. "Cryptic."

"And worrying, depending on how literal that is," added the astrophysicist.

Daniel nodded. "In any case, we need to find Cha'lal and her lab for four reasons: to use whatever technology and intelligence is available to fight the Goa'uld; to fight whatever foe the future Anise and Freya warned against; to prevent someone else from finding the weapons and using them intentionally or accidentally; and to prevent Cha'lal from running free and... uh..."

"Doing Goa'uldish things," Jack offered helpfully.

Daniel looked amused. "Thanks, Jack. While the first of those objectives is the SGC's primary goal, the fact that the Tok'ra used time travel to send a warning speaks to the importance of the second point. From what we know about Cha'lal, she's a fertile queen who secretly plotted against the Tok'ra. As for her scientific proficiency, she was rumoured to be skilled in many areas including explosives, energy weapons, and biological warfare. So we really don't want her loose or her creations in the wrong hands."

"You're right, we _really_ don't want any of that happening," Jack agreed. "The sooner you figure out a location, the better."

"Then we'd better get back to the SGC so I can use my lab."

"Yep, it's about time we moved on. Hammond needs to hear what we've discovered."

Sam nodded. "And I need to check on the searches I'm running, Sir."

"Searches, Carter?"

"To find who ordered the hit on Kalana, Sir," she clarified.

"'Ahh." He turned to Jacob. "We'd better be on our way. Here's to hoping that next time we visit the Tok'ra, it's on the same planet, and not for a funeral."

Jacob nodded. "You can say that again." He gave his daughter a goodbye hug, telling her, "Take care, Sam. Next time I visit Earth, I don't want to find that you blew a chunk of it away by touching the wrong thing in Cha'lal's lab."

Sam laughed at the teasing. "I'll be careful, Dad. You be careful yourself."

"_I shall keep the Tok'ra informed of any developments pertaining to Cha'lal,"_ Melinar promised.

"_It would be for the best that this information be limited to Anise and I. We do not want to chance the Goa'uld learning of this situation,"_ Selmac warned. _"One on Earth is already too many."_

-

The next morning, SG-1 joined General Hammond in the briefing room. "Major Carter, I believe you have news," the general began.

"Yes, General. I found a solid link between the car used to kill Kalana, and Senator Kinsey," Sam announced. "He didn't do a good job of covering his tracks."

Jack muttered something unsavoury about the senator under his breath, which Hammond ignored. "I understand. Now we have the question of what to do with this information."

Daniel looked extremely displeased, but Melinar prevented him from saying anything rash. _"General Hammond. Kalana was a Tok'ra host, which means the fate of Senator Kinsey falls under Tok'ra jurisdiction, under the terms of the Tok'ra-Tau'ri alliance. As Kalana's former symbiote, I request a meeting with Kinsey so he may answer for his actions."_

The general nodded. "I'll see what I can arrange. In the meantime, have you and Daniel made any progress on the Cha'lal situation?"

"_I am afraid not. The secret is well hidden. The manner in which it is concealed is cryptic and puzzling. It is an enjoyable pursuit, but fruitless thus far."_

"You and Daniel are perfect for each other," Jack snarked. He received a glare in return, and wasn't quite sure who was responsible.

"Ahem," Hammond interrupted. "I'll inform you when I have a meeting with Senator Kinsey set up. Dismissed."

Once they were out in the hallway, Jack asked, "Are you sure about this, Daniel? Meeting with Kinsey, I mean."

"I have to, Jack. The only evidence we have against him is based on Melinar's testimony, since other witnesses can testify that I couldn't have possibly seen the car. And we can't use the testimony of a Tok'ra symbiote in court, especially in a case against a high profile person like Kinsey. But if Kalana, who he tried to have killed, threatens to tell the Tok'ra what he did, we'll have leverage on him," Daniel explained.

"Might get him to leave us alone, or even quit politics," Jack said optimistically.

"Maybe. We'll see. For now, I've got a puzzle to solve, and a queen to find."

"I'll leave you to it, then. I'm heading to the gym: it's high time I showed Teal'c who's best at hand-to-hand."

"I am already aware of my abilities," Teal'c replied with a poker face.

"That's… not what I meant, T."

"Indeed."

-

Note: Hopefully the reason for all the 'previously' chapters makes more sense now.

Next chapter: a confrontation with Kinsey! (Hmm, that might even make a good title...)


	10. Kinsey is an Assassin

Chapter 5 – Kinsey is an Assassin

Note: Please pardon the bad title pun.

-

"What's this all about then?" Senator Kinsey asked belligerently. "My time is valuable, _Doctor_ Jackson." The man's voice was laced with derision.

"It has recently come to my attention that you are responsible for the recent murder of my girlfriend," Daniel stated calmly.

"What? But that's... You couldn't possibly... how dare you!" Kinsey spluttered, turning beet red.

"You look guilty," Daniel observed with a nod.

"I had nothing to do with the accident!" Kinsey denied brusquely.

"We ran the plates on the car; traced it back to you."

"Rubbish. The police report says no one saw the vehicle," Kinsey argued.

"I know. Someone did see, but we couldn't reveal that fact for reasons of national security."

"Whatever are you talking about?"

"Melinar, the symbiote."

Kinsey's eyes bugged out. "The Goa'uld survived?!?"

Melinar barely stopped herself from coming forth to correct the label. "She's Tok'ra, not Goa'uld," Daniel hissed, his voice soft and dangerous.

"My sources say otherwise," Kinsey scoffed.

"_Sources_?" Daniel definitely wanted to hear more about this.

"I received reliable warnings of the presence of certain threats on this planet. Everything I have done was purely in defense."

"So that's how you justify murdering people who never meant you any harm. Who else is on your hit list, Kinsey?" Daniel demanded.

"So you can have another alien to fool around with, Doctor Jackson?" Kinsey goaded.

It took all of Daniel and Melinar's combined willpower to keep him from exploding. He silently counted to ten in his head and chose to let the slight pass. "How many other Goa'ulds were you warned about?" he pressed.

"You'll never know."

"That's where you're wrong. As soon as we tell the Tok'ra what you did to one of their own, they'll demand punishment. And we're required to hand you over by the terms of the alliance. They can extract whatever memories they need from you. Anise would love to hook you up to her latest..."

"Enough! I'll tell you what you need to know, if this matter is buried."

"Neglecting to inform our allies about a murder is worth far more than information which should have been reported to the SGC," Daniel icily told the senator.

"What else do you want?"

"Step down from office."

"You can't make me do that! I have a duty to my country!" Kinsey protested.

"I can't let a murderer continue to 'serve' as a senator."

"I was protecting the planet!"

"You job is to be a lawmaker, not a judge or executioner."

"I..."

"You tell me what you know about Goa'uld on Earth and leave politics, and I ensure the Tok'ra don't ask for your head on a platter. Do we have a deal?"

Kinsey gulped. "Yes, Doctor Jackson. We have a deal," he agreed reluctantly. "But how can I be sure Melinar will not tell the Tok'ra about... the incident."

Daniel gave an unfriendly smile, showing his teeth. "You're a smart man; you work it out. Now, about Goa'uld on Earth...."

"I was informed of one other. A queen."

Daniel became excited. "A queen? This could be the lead we're looking for. Do you have a name?" While an active goa'uld was more dangerous than an imprisoned one, she would be more visible awake than locked away in a place undiscovered for thousands of years.

"Cha'lal."

Daniel assumed the expression of a boy experiencing multiple simultaneous Christamasses. "Where? Where is she?"

"Before I tell you, I need an assurance. A queen goa'uld on the loose is a very serious matter. Unless you can guarantee that SG-1 and SG-1 alone are responsible for her capture, I can't risk telling you where she is."

"I don't think there is any doubt SG-1 will lead this mission but I expect we'll want backup."

"Not in this situation, no. I believe a small team will be most suitable, given the circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

"The queen is said to have infiltrated a friendly government. You can't send in an army."

Daniel grew concerned. "How long have you known about this?"

"Not long."

"Just long enough to arrange the murder of..."

"Assassination of an alien terrorist."

"She's on our side! That makes her a 'freedom fighter'," Daniel corrected as he struggled to not hurt the senator.

"I acted on the available information to remove a threat."

"If you had shared that information - as you should have done - we could have told you it is wrong! And even if you were right, all you would have achieved was to kill an innocent human host!"

Kinsey seemed untouched by Daniel's words. "What's happened has happened. You can't change it by arguing."

"And you'll be at the mercy of the Tok'ra unless you tell us where Cha'lal is," Daniel reminded. He belatedly hoped the senator didn't notice his slip, as he had realised it would not help the conversation if Kinsey discovered he was Melinar's host.

Kinsey sighed dramatically. "You leave me no choice. I've been told the goa'uld queen has infiltrated the Australian government at a federal level."

"Has she... reproduced?" Daniel asked (after a few choice expletives in languages his guest did not know).

"I believe she's the only one at the moment," Kinsey answered after brief consideration of the facts he knew.

"Who exactly is this source?"

"That wasn't part of the deal," the older man replied with self satisfaction.

"No, but stepping down from politics is," Daniel reminded.

"After you deal with the queen. I'm not willing to step down until I know the situation has been taken care of."

"Fine, but once this is over, you'd better be out of government or you'll be the Tok'ra's next test subject."

"Understood," Kinsey answered with an involuntary shudder. "Our business is concluded."

Daniel barely suppressed the desire to shock the hateful man with glowing eyes. Instead he waited for the politician to gather up his briefcase and leave the room before vacating his own chair. He nodded to the SFs who had diligently minded the door and began to look for the rest of his team.

As he journeyed to the surface of the earth, Robert Kinsey smiled inwardly. If the situation went as hoped, his problems should annihilate one another. With the goa'uld queen and SG-1 out of the way (courtesy of one another), he could turn his attention to greater things. After all, with that moralistic thorn-in-the-side Jackson out of the way, there was no need to relinquish his place as senator. If only he knew where the other goa'uld had fled...

-

Colonel O'Neill sat in the briefing room with his team and General Hammond, wondering what had the rock-reader so excited. "Daniel, would you care to share with the class?"

"Kinsey told me where Cha'lal is: Australia," Daniel quickly revealed.

"That was... direct," Jack commented. Usually Daniel spent a few minutes leading up to such a revelation. "How did he know?"

"He mentioned a source, but wouldn't elaborate. The same person gave him information about Melinar, leading to..."

"We should have handed him over to the Tok'ra while we had him here!" Jack declared vocally.

"Calm down, Colonel," Hammond chided.

"Actually, I threatened him with that very thing unless he leaves office once we deal with Cha'lal," Daniel revealled.

"Sweet!"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. Then he added, "It would be helpful to determine the identity of RobertKinsey's source."

"Maybourne?" Sam suggested.

Jack shook his head. "I'd like to think he'd call me if any goa'ulds needed... busting. It's possible that someone else in the NID found out and told him, but I don't see a clear motive."

"We'll leave that issue for now, Colonel. Doctor Jackson, do you have any further information on the disposition or whereabouts of Cha'lal?"

"Kinsey says she has 'infiltrated the Australian government at a federal level' and believes she is currently the only one. Also, he was adamant that SG-1 deal with the threat alone, due to the delicacy of the situation."

"Really?" wondered Jack. "I know we are the most sensible option, but I wouldn't expect Kinsey to realise it, let alone argue in our favour. I wonder what caused the change of heart?"

"Sir, does that really matter? We're talking about Goa'uld infiltration of an allied government," Sam pointed out.

"This is indeed a worrying situation. I have heard that the land of Australia is home to many creatures similar to the Goa'uld. They carry their developing young in abdominal pouches."

Daniel shook his head. "You don't have to worry about kangaroos, Teal'c, unless they try to kick you or jump in front of your vehicle."

The general coughed. "This information may explain some recent international developments. The Australian government has made inquiries about artefacts removed from Antarctica. These have been rebuffed, but the requests to open dialog on this issue have started to become too incessant to ignore. We wondered what they knew, and now it seems that a goa'uld is among them, which means they know or suspect we have the Stargate in their possession."

"I say we give them what they want, Sir."

"Colonel? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"It's quite simple, Sir. We tell the Australians that we're willing to discuss their claims and send a team of four experts to meet with whoever is doing the asking. That team being SG-1, of course."

Sam smiled brightly. "That should lead us straight to Cha'lal! That's brilliant! You've done it again, Sir."

"I hope it's a good thing this time, Carter."

-

Kinsey was on the flight back to Washington when the thought occurred to him. A goa'uld symbiote could not survive without a host except in the right conditions. Melinar's new host had to be someone at the scene of the accident. There was only one logical person. One extremely logical person. A chill went through the man's body as he realised that he had been sitting with a goa'uld without realising it. Or perhaps a Tok'ra. It didn't matter which. All signs pointed to Tok'ra though. Actually, it was for the best that way. With SG-1 hunting a goa'uld, a Tok'ra would be soon discovered and quickly neutralised. Possibly tortured. Doctor Jackson had the alien equivalent of a bullseye painted on his head. This realisation made the Senator feel much safer. He might not even need the backup plan... but it always paid to be prepared for all eventualities.

-

Note: squashed three typos.


	11. Tick Tok'

Chapter 6 – Tick Tok'

Note: Remember, _"This is symbiote voice."_ "This is a normal sounding voice." _This is symbiote thoughts to host._ /This is host thoughts to symbiote./

-

_A week later, in Canberra, Australia…_

(By the way, that's nowhere near the site of Cha'lal's lab.)

"This place seems a bit small for a capital city, dontcha think?" Jack commented as he looked out the window of the chauffeured vehicle.

"It's less than a hundred years old," Daniel replied.

"And it's inland, which means it's dry. The majority of Australia's population is on the coast where rainfall is higher," Sam added.

"What water do they drink? That lake?" Jack asked.

"No, Sir, that's Lake Burley Griffin. It was artificially created and is used for recreational purposes. I read that toxic algal blooms are common, so swimming isn't such a good idea either."

Daniel chimed in, saying, "It was named for Walter Burley Griffin. He was the architect who won the design competition for Canberra. He was from Chicago."

"Oh."

"I see a jet of water issuing from the lake. What is its purpose?" Teal'c chose to ask.

"That's part of the Captain James Cook Memorial. The government built it to commemorate 200 years since Captain Cook sighted Australia's east coast. There's also a globe sculpture which shows the paths of his expeditions."

Teal'c gave a slight nod of thanks.

"The place we're going to is called 'Black Mountain', right?" At Daniel's nod Jack continued, "But we're not going inside the mountain, right? Because that would be too much, considering where we work...."

"No Jack, it's not inside the mountain. It's not even up the mountain, just on the edge. Near the Australian National Botanical Gardens."

"Gardens. Peachy. Carter, do we think this Shirley character has her lab somewhere around here?"

"Cha'lal," Daniel automatically corrected.

Sam shook her head. "It's doubtful, Sir. This is where someone related to whatever is going on has an office. The actual lab could be anywhere."

Jack nodded. "We'll have to play it by ear. Since this we're dealing with snakes, our goal is to learn as much as possible about what they're doing and what they know, without giving anything away ourselves. And Daniel, tell me as soon as you sense anything… off."

"Off? Do I look like Spiderman to you?"

"You know what I mean, Daniel. If we do get caught by She-Who-Shall..."

"Cha'lal."

"You've all got the cover story straight?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Indeed."

"Of course, Jack. Melinar and I were the ones who..."

"I know, Daniel. Just don't forget it. And whatever happens, be careful around women, particularly any who are… overly friendly," Jack warned teasingly.

"Shut up, Jack."

-

"As this is a secure area, I'll need you four to step through the metal detector, one at a time," the security guard badged as 'Anna' instructed SG-1.

Sam hung back in order to go through last. "Is this a new building?" she asked as she waited for her turn.

"Yes, it was built very recently to house the new Advanced Technological Research Initiative," Anna explained.

"Which is…?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

"I meant, what's the motivation for it?"

Anna shrugged. "Beats me. Your turn for the scanner."

Sam stepped through, wondering whether the scanner was more than a simple metal detector. "What are you scanning for?"

Will, the other guard, frowned at a report off the screen attached to the scanner. "I'm sorry, but I'm required to detain you." He pulled an unfamiliar weapon from his belt, about the size of a pistol. It fired quietly, and soon the four visitors lay insensible on the vinyl floor.

-

Major Carter awoke find herself lying on a mattress in a small cell. It was close to square and three sides were painted white. The third wall consisted of solid metal bars, running both horizontally and vertically. The left side of the barred wall had a similarly-barred door built into it. Her mattress was against the left wall of the cell, while another ran along the opposite wall. On it lay an awakening Colonel O'Neill. "Sir?"

"I'm all here, Carter. What hit us?"

"I don't know, Sir. It wasn't painful."

"Yeah." Obviously not closely related to a Zat. Jack checked his wrist and found it bare. "How long were we out?"

"They took my watch too. We have no way of knowing."

"It can't be too long, or I'd be hungrier," Jack supposed. "Why do you think we're here?"

"That scanner must have found something they didn't like."

"Or it was an excuse to knock us out. There's no way of knowing, Carter."

"You're right. We're completely in the dark."

"Not completely, Carter. There's a light." Sam had to suppress a giggle. "Is there a way we can get past those bars?" Jack inquired.

Sam stuck a hand between the bars, but her fingers quickly met with resistance. "Sorry, Sir, not a chance."

"Carter?"

"Force field. The solid, pain-free type."

"Ah. The ceiling looks solid too."

"Perhaps Daniel and Murray are nearby."

"Worth a try," Jack agreed, before shouting, "Daniel! T! Are you campers bunked around here?" There was no response. "I guess they aren't, or they're still out. We'll have to wait for someone to show up."

They didn't need to wait for long. Hardly a minute later, the sound of a distant door opening and closing was followed by approaching footsteps. As the sound drew close, Sam made a wavy motion with her hand. It was hardly necessary, and the woman who came into view looked positively Goa'uld-like. She was a tall green-eyed beauty, adorned in a priceless robe which matched her eyes and sporting long, perfect, raven hair. The hand device was also telling.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter," she greeted in a melodious voice.

"That's right. And you are?" Jack could have chosen to surprise her by telling her name, but he didn't want her wondering or asking how he knew.

"Please call me Charlotte," she replied. "Each of you is an… enigma." It took her a moment to find the right word.

"Ya don't say."

Charlotte blinked. "I have said it."

"No, I meant… never mind. We're enigmas. Is that why we're locked up in this tiny room?"

She carefully considered his words. "Yes. I only mean to… detain you until I have… discovered how you came to be… what you are."

"How do you intend to do that?"

"I have questions I wish you to answer."

"So do I," Jack shot back.

"Are you familiar with the Chappa'ai, or Astria Porta? I believe in your language you might call it the Star Gate, or… erroneously the 'Doorway to Heaven' or 'Ring of the Gods'." She paused and watched her prisoners. "I see by your faces that you know of it. This is as I expected, as I can sense that you have each been… inhabited by… an alien life-form. What I do not understand is why this is no longer the case."

Jack shrugged. "Luck?"

Charlotte paused in consideration. "You jest. Such creatures would not willingly leave their hosts, nor would their hosts survive their death."

"That's where you're wrong. On both counts," Jack countered.

She nodded. "That is obviously the case. I am curious about the circumstances that lead to such rare events."

"What business is it of yours?" Jack unhelpfully answered. Sam gave him a warning look.

"Considering the nature of your… companions, I find it rather… odd."

"It really isn't," Jack groundlessly assured her.

"Most… baffling, is the Jaffa First Prime who lacks a primta. I do not understand how he can be alive, nor why he has been allowed to live. The existence of such as him or yourselves would be seen as a threat to your Goa'uld master."

"You'd think so, but we have our uses.."

"Let's just say that we have certain memories that are valuable to our master."

"You hosted his enemies?"

"They were Tok'ra. Supposedly they don't take unwilling hosts, and share control of the body. Nice words, but empty."

"Ah, Tok'ra. It was them who imprisoned me for thousands of years," Charlotte surmised, her tone darkening a little.

"Yeah, we heard stories about that. Something about creating weapons with the ability to wipe out the Tok'ra."

"Your master is aware of this?"

"Of course."

"What of your Jaffa companion?"

"You'll have to ask him about that yourself."

"I shall do so. I shall speak with you again later. Perhaps Major Carter will speak next time."

"Perhaps you'll let me ask the questions next time," Jack quipped.

"Perhaps," Charlotte answered moderately. She turned on the heels of her sandals and left in the direction she came.

Jack waited until he heard the door open and close again. "That was… odd.'

Sam nodded. "She didn't sound much like a Goa'uld, and I don't mean her voice. But she's clearly not a Tok'ra. I'm not sure why she's changed her name. Maybe sh wants to sound more human."

"Whatever sort of stasis she's been trapped in for the past few millennia, it can't have been a sarcophagus," Jack guessed.

"You might be right, Sir. That might explain why her behaviour is less…"

"Cliché?"

"She's an enigma, Sir."

"As are we, apparently."

"But keep in mind that before she betrayed the Tok'ra, even Egeria herself though she was one of them. So perhaps she's just good at acting less like a Goa'uld. We need to be very careful. Remember, she's a queen."

Jack drew the parallel. "Hathor."

"It's a similar situation, though she hasn't immediately stated that she's an enemy of Ra like Hathor did. She's said very little about herself, actually."

"While Hathor said a lot about _their_self," Jack replied with a grimace. "This one hasn't tried breathing on me either."

"You're not disappointed, are you, Sir?" Sam teased.

"Don't even joke about it!"

-

_In another part of the facility…_

/Finally, someone's coming,/ Daniel said to his symbiote. _Yes, and I sense a Goa'uld,_ Melinar answered. _I should probably handle this._ /By all means, do./

"_I apologise for keeping you waiting. I had other guests to attend to – the colonel and the major,"_ said the tall female who had to be Cha'lal. She spoke in fluent Goa'uld.

"_Why have you imprisoned us?"_ Melinar demanded in the same tongue.

"_For my own safety. I know not what your intentions are."_

_"I came to meet with the Australians to determine why they had asked questions pertaining to the Chappa'ai. I did not expect to meet one of my own kind, or I would have taken more precautions."_ This was almost true.

_"Do you control the Chappa'ai of this world?"_

_"I am the one responsible for its reopening."_ Not too far from the truth - her host was actually the one.

_"Impressive. What is your name?"_

_"Apophis."_ A distasteful cover story, but it fit with Teal'c's presence.

_"If that is so, why does your First Prime lack a symbiote?"_

Fortunately they'd come up with a wild tale to answer that too. _"He was captured and experimented upon by the Tok'ra. He later escaped with enough knowledge that I rewarded him with his life, even though he can no longer nurture a primta. What is your tale?"_

_"I am Cha'lal."_

Melinar nodded. That was what she expected, but she didn't want to appear as if she had. _"The one who vanished long ago. Rumours suggested the Tok'ra were involved, but nothing was ever proven for sure."_

_"Do the Goa'uld not know anything of my disappearance?"_ Cha'lal was fishing for information about the state of the galaxy and how the powers felt about her.

_"You were operating in secret. Your allegiance was unknown. After centuries of silence you were forgotten, barely a memory."_

_"Interesting. What of the military personnel who accompanied you? They are both former hosts. Surely you are aware of this."_

_"They are loyal and... useful. They were both used by the Tok'ra. Now they are fountains of information about my enemies. Most of the little I know of you comes from them."_

_"It seems unusual that they have allied themselves to you."_

_"They are no friends to the Tok'ra and I have promised them much. I believe I they are __more valuable as humans than as hosts. They have more loyalty and less greed than our kind."_

_"This is true. We owe much to the humans,"_ Cha'lal stated.

_"This is an unusual attitude for a Goa'uld to display. Even many of the Tok'ra display disdain for unblended humans, even though they regard their own hosts highly."_

_"It is what Egeria, mother of the Tok'ra, believed. I learned that she was correct. Unfortunately, many Tok'ra have not lived up to her ideals."_

_"I don't understand. You sound as if you consider yourself to be more Tok'ra than the Tok'ra are."_ Melinar and Daniel were genuinely puzzled, though from a Tok'ra/Tau'ri point of view rather than a Goa'uld point of view.

"_I suppose you might call me Tok'goa'uld."_

"_Is that so? Is that why you sought to destroy the Tok'ra? As a trial before you destroyed the Goa'uld also, leaving the way clear for you to do as you saw fit?"_

Cha'lal shook her head sadly. _"I never sought any such thing. It is a lie perpetrated by those who imprisoned me. They decided my ideas were too radical, too dangerous, and thus they had me removed."_

Melinar was shocked. _"They imprisoned you for following the ideals of our mother too zealously?"_

Cha'lal's eyes twinkled in amusement. _"__**Your**__ mother?"_

"_I..."_

"_Did you really expect me to believe that you are Apophis?"_

Melinar chose not to answer. _"I am the Tok'ra Melinar of Malkshur. My host is Daniel Jackson of Earth. It is he who determined the working of the Chappa'ai. At the time I lay in a coma, and my host had injuries such that she knew not of my existence or that she had come from beyond this planet. She was recently assassinated by the order of a corrupt American politician who wishes me dead. It was he who divulged your position to us. Presumably he wishes to be rid of the seven of us."_ This count included SG-1, Melinar and Cha'lal with her host. _"We assumed you were Goa'uld and acted in kind to gather information."_

"_An amusing mistake. What does your host say?"_

"I say: was it really wise to tell her all that, Mel? She could be lying, like Hathor."

"_Her words ring true,"_ Cha'lal answered aloud.

"_You have met that vile dog Hathor?"_

"_My host has. It is an unpleasant memory for him. Fortunately, Hathor is no more."_

"Indeed," Teal'c spoke up. "Among the fallen are Ra, Apophis, Cronus, Sokar, Seth, and Nirrti. This is due to the actions of the Tau'ri far more than those of the Tok'ra."

"_Then you are Shol'va."_ She said the word with a sort of reverence.

"The first of many. It was in fact the Tok'ra who assisted in the development of a substance which renders a primta unnecessary to a Jaffa's survival," Teal'c replied.

Cha'lal nodded. _"They have their moments. But before we continue, I believe it would be best if we were joined by your compatriots and moved to a more comfortable location."_

"Indeed."

"_That would be preferable."_

"Yeah, you'd better let Jack and Sam out before they take it upon themselves," Daniel added.

"_That is not a possibility."_

"I hope not."

-

Note: Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I hope the length partly makes up for it.

And yes, there will be flashbacks to fill in between Cha'lal's release from stasis and the present time.

Whadda ya know... the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation has a facility in Canberra on Black Mountain right beside the Botanical Gardens. How convenient.


	12. In the Dark

I apologise for the general delay in fic writing. My excuses include work trips and deadlines, a PDA failure (fortunately didn't lose anything) and general procrastination. In unrelated news, I picked up a package from the post office yesterday: a shiny, new model F-302, courtesy of Quantum Mechanix Inc (and my Paypal account). Hooray!

Anyhow, on with the fic...

-

Chapter 7 – In the Dark

By means of a handheld control device, Cha'lal dropped the force field and unlocked the cell containing Teal'c, Daniel Jackson, and Melinar. _"Please, follow me,"_ she instructed. _"Your companions are in a different part of my facility."_

"Are we underground?" Daniel wondered as he followed along the passageway.

"_Yes, I hid my laboratory in a fairly remote part of the southern continent of your planet now known as Australia. There is now a small town within a reasonable distance. A geologist discovered the entrance, aided by a man in strange clothes who vanished painfully, he claims."_

"An unusual occurrence," Teal'c commented.

"_Did the geologist in question mention flashes of blue energy appearing on the stranger's body periodically?"_ Melinar inquired._ "I ask because..."_

The tunnel lights inexplicably cut off, plunging the group into total darkness. "That's not good," Daniel observed. There was little else to observe.

"_Stay calm and still. The backup power should take over within a minute,"_ Cha'lal reassured.

"Very well," Teal'c complied.

"_Perhaps two minutes,"_ she amended a minute later._ "It is quite some time since I checked such details."_

Several seconds later, the lights began to flicker back in all their muted glory. They didn't last long. A small explosion echoed down the passage, heralding a second loss of power._ "The science team must have misconfigured or misused a device again. This may take time to fix. Unfortunately, I do not have a portable light with me."_

"Uh, I hate to give bad news, but this isn't an accident."

"Indeed it is not."

"_What do you mean?"_

"Are the force fields securing the cells connected to the same electrical circuit as the lighting?" Daniel prompted.

"_They are."_

"And it's possible to detach a light from the ceiling, along with the wire attached to it?"

"_I believe so."_

As the group fumbled their way along the tunnel, Teal'c added, "Are the field emitters not visibly located such that a prisoner could reach them through the cell bars, were the field already disabled?"

"_I see you point. You believe Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter have escaped."_

"I know it."

"Indeed."

"_They are nothing if not resourceful,"_ Melinar corroborated.

"_This is an awkward development. Explanations will now be much more difficult to provide."_

"Yeah, I hope you don't have any weapons lying around where Jack will find them."

-

_Meanwhile..._

"Good job Carter!" Jack congratulated.

"Don't thank me, thank whoever was dumb enough to put the field emitters so close to the lock," Sam replied modestly. "Blowing the emitters wouldn't have done any good otherwise."

"Nah, you could have picked the lock."

"Perhaps, but it was your idea originally."

"All I did was ask if the Goa'uld put their force fields and lights on the same circuit. Which reminds me, I'd be saying 'Great job,' if it wasn't pitch black in here."

"Sorry about that, Sir."

"Ah, we'll feel our way out eventually. After we find Daniel and T, of course."

"There should be a doorway in this direction, Sir."

"Which direction, Carter?"

"Left of the cell door, but on the opposite wall."

"That's not helping."

"Toward my voice, Sir," Sam replied, barely hiding a trace of laughter in her voice.

"Right." The two Air Force Officers blindly navigated the passages and stopped when they heard voices ahead.

"What've ya got, Spam?" an Australian voice asked.

"I am finding a crystal is being burned in each generator. They are looking to be serving as fuses. We are needing to be replacing them."

"With what?" a woman asked.

"Perhaps you could take the flashlight ask look yourself!" a third man suggested haughtily.

"Torch," multiple voices corrected.

Having heard enough, Jack whispered, "I think they're human."

"I don't sense any Goa'uld, Sir but I think there are naquadah generators."

"Carter?"

"I can feel it."

"Oh. Let's announce ourselves."

"After you, Sir," Sam whispered back."

"Of course." Jack stepped out of the hallway into a seemingly large and rather dim room. "Howdy, campers," he greeted.

"Who are you? How'd you get in here?"

"And are you being responsible for the breaking of the generators?" a second voice added.

"Jack O'Neill; I walked; and no, that was Carter," Jack concisely replied.

"Walked from where?" the man in charge wondered, at the same time as the other man asked, "Who is being Carter?"

"We woke up in some kind of cell. Before that, we were in Canberra. We've got no idea where we are now. Care to fill us in?"

The third man noticed Carter standing a little further back, and shone his light on her. "I remember you! You were with Daniel when Sarah…"

Sam realized who he was. "Doctor Rayner?"

"Who's this, then?" Jack asked his 2IC.

"Doctor Steven Rayner, one of Daniel's old colleagues. He was present during the… Osiris situation, Sir."

"The time Danny got himself in trouble while T and I were off fishing?"

"That's right."

"What's he doing here?"

"Perhaps you should ask him, Sir," Sam suggested tactfully.

"Right. Rayner, wasn't it? Care to explain where we are and who you're working for?"

Steven pointed back to the first man. "This is Doctor Ken Lucas, geologist. He's technically in charge of this… survey."

"Survey of what, exactly?"

"I doubt you're clear to know, mate," Ken replied.

"You'd be surprised what I'm cleared to know," Jack answered testily.

"Hold on a sec, are you one of the diplomatic team that was sent over from the United States? Last I heard, your team had been compromised and you were being brought in for containment and questioning. What's going on?" Ken asked, somewhat confused.

Jack mirrored Ken's expression of befuddlement. "Compromised? By what exactly are we supposed to be compromised?"

"Apophis. One of your companions bears his mark, apparently."

"Yeah, he does. So… I take it Apophis is considered an enemy of 'Charlotte'?"

Ken nodded. "As are all the… what did she call them?"

"System Lords," piped up the woman who had not yet spoken.

"There goes our cover story," Jack sighed. "Seems like we're dealing with a rogue Goa'uld after all."

"A rogue queen," Sam clarified.

"So, she was right," the woman noted.

Jack gave her his attention. "And you are?"

"Doctor Alison Hethry. Linguist and cryptanalysist. And with me is Doctor Amal Bacon. We call him Spam."

"Ah. You were saying?"

"Charlotte thought it likely that your country had uncovered the Star Portal and begun exploring the galaxy. Your knowledge of Goa'uld queens supports this."

Sam considered Doctor Hethry's words. "She told you what she is?"

"Of course. Convincing us was not easy. If I hadn't experienced it for myself…" Alison didn't finish the sentence, apparently distracted by a memory.

"Doctor Hethry? What… wait, I sense someone coming," Sam interrupted herself. Jack immediately grabbed Ken's torch and prepared to bean the next person to walk into the room. "They've stopped," she whispered.

"Why?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"I can hear you whispering," a full voice interjected.

"Daniel?"

"Hi Jack, Sam."

"Come on in, join the party," Jack invited.

Daniel didn't move immediately. "You're not going to hit me on the head, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"After what happened last time…"

"Oh for crying out loud, Daniel! It was dark, and we got separated."

"Is that any different to now?"

"Well…"

"O'Neill, I shall proceed first," Teal'c intervened. "DanielJackson and the one known as Cha'lal shall follow."

"We were about to come free you when the power went off," Daniel quickly explained. "So we figured we better find you before you caused any more damage."

"How thoughtful of you."

"Jack!"

"Daniel?"

"Never mind. I'm coming in now. And I'd prefer it if you didn't try hitting Cha'lal. She let us out of our cell, and she'll probably let you stay out if you play nice," Daniel warned carefully.

"Fine, no hitting Charlotte."

"Cha'lal," Daniel corrected wearily.

"Actually, I prefer to be known as Charlotte now. It blends better, if you don't mind," the queen in question requested.

"Oh," Daniel responded as the pair (or two pairs, counting both hosts and symbiotes) joined the crowd in the generator room. He was a tiny bit annoyed that Jack had got away with his habit of 'forgetting' names. As his eyes drifted over what little he could see of the others in the room, the shock of recognition played over his features. "Steven?"

"Daniel. Figures you would show up here eventually," Doctor Rayner answered coldly.

"Uh, Steven, could that wait? We've got more important issues to deal with than academic rivalry."

Before the situation could get any further out of hand, Jack loudly cleared his throat. "Hey! Rather than standing around in this cramped, dark room arguing, how about we get the lights back on, and explain ourselves from the beginning? Somewhere more comfortable. Perhaps over some cake."

Charlotte readily agreed. "An excellent suggestion, Colonel." She swiftly reached into a wall cabinet and withdrew a couple of fresh power-regulation crystals. "This should only take a moment, so long as nothing else is damaged."

Sam realised the statement was directed at her. "I disconnected the short circuits I made in the field emitters. There shouldn't be a problem now," she assured the woman. She was a little unsure of whether she was supposed to be helpful, as the woman was also a Goa'uld Queen who was their primary target and enemy on this mission. "Sir?"

"Question, Carter?"

"What happened to the mission?"

"We'll let these… good people explain the situation and figure out what to do from there. In my thinking, our first mistake was relying on Kinsey as a source of _intelligence_."

"Understood, Sir."

The generator whirred to life, and the lights faded back to a comfortable brightness. Charlotte took the lead. "If you'll all follow me to a dining area, we can sort out this situation. I hope you like lamingtons."

No one on SG-1 quite knew how to respond to such an offer. Except Teal'c. "Indeed."


End file.
